  Multiple-antenna technologies are evolving towards large-scale aperture
sizes, extremely high frequencies, and innovative antenna types. This evolution
is giving rise to the emergence of near-field communications (NFC) in future
wireless systems. Considerable attention has been directed towards this
cutting-edge technology due to its potential to enhance the capacity of
wireless networks by introducing increased spatial degrees of freedom (DoFs) in
the range domain. Within this context, a comprehensive review of the state of
the art on NFC is presented, with a specific focus on its 1) fundamental
operating principles, 2) channel modeling, 3) performance analysis, 4) signal
processing, and 5) integration with other emerging technologies. Specifically,
1) the basic principles of NFC are characterized from both physics and
communications perspectives, unveiling its unique properties in contrast to
far-field communications. 2) Based on these principles, deterministic and
stochastic near-field channel models are investigated for spatially-discrete
(SPD) and continuous-aperture (CAP) antenna arrays. 3) Rooted in these models,
existing contributions on near-field performance analysis are reviewed in terms
of DoFs/effective DoFs (EDoFs), power scaling law, and transmission rate. 4)
Existing signal processing techniques for NFC are systematically surveyed,
encompassing channel estimation, beamforming design, and low-complexity beam
training. 5) Major issues and research opportunities associated with the
integration of NFC and other emerging technologies are identified to facilitate
NFC applications in next-generation networks. Promising directions are
highlighted throughout the paper to inspire future research endeavors in the
realm of NFC.
