Zak-OTFS with Interleaved Pilots to Extend the Region of Predictable Operation

When the delay period of the Zak-OTFS carrier is greater than the delay spread of the channel, and the Doppler period of the carrier is greater than the Doppler spread of the channel, the effective channel filter taps can simply be read off from the response to a single pilot carrier waveform. The input-output (I/O) relation can then be reconstructed for a sampled system that operates under finite duration and bandwidth constraints. We introduce a framework for pilot design in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain which makes it possible to support users with very different delay-Doppler characteristics when it is not possible to choose a single delay and Doppler period to support all users. The method is to interleave single pilots in the DD domain, and to choose the pilot spacing so that the I/O relation can be reconstructed by solving a small linear system of equations.

Zak-OTFS and Turbo Signal Processing for Joint Sensing and Communication

The Zak-OTFS input/output (I/O) relation is predictable and non-fading when the delay and Doppler periods are greater than the effective channel delay and Doppler spreads, a condition which we refer to as the crystallization condition. The filter taps can simply be read off from the response to a single Zak-OTFS pilot pulsone, and the I/O relation can be reconstructed for a sampled system that operates under finite duration and bandwidth constraints. In previous work we had measured BER performance of a baseline system where we used separate Zak-OTFS subframes for sensing and data transmission. In this Letter we demonstrate how to use turbo signal processing to match BER performance of this baseline system when we integrate sensing and communication within the same Zak-OTFS subframe. The turbo decoder alternates between channel sensing using a noise-like waveform (spread pulsone) and recovery of data transmitted using point pulsones.

Zak-OTFS: Pulse Shaping and the Tradeoff between Time/Bandwidth Expansion and Predictability

The Zak-OTFS input/output (I/O) relation is predictable and non-fading when the delay and Doppler periods are greater than the effective channel delay and Doppler spreads, a condition which we refer to as the crystallization condition. When the crystallization condition is satisfied, we describe how to integrate sensing and communication within a single Zak-OTFS subframe by transmitting a pilot in the center of the subframe and surrounding the pilot with a pilot region and guard band to mitigate interference between data symbols and pilot. At the receiver we first read off the effective channel taps within the pilot region, and then use the estimated channel taps to recover the data from the symbols received outside the pilot region. We introduce a framework for filter design in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain where the symplectic Fourier transform connects aliasing in the DD domain (predictability of the I/O relation) with time/bandwidth expansion. The choice of pulse shaping filter determines the fraction of pilot energy that lies outside the pilot region and the degradation in BER performance that results from the interference to data symbols. We demonstrate that Gaussian filters in the DD domain provide significant improvements in BER performance over the sinc and root raised cosine filters considered in previous work. We also demonstrate that, by limiting DD domain aliasing, Gaussian filters extend the region where the crystallization condition is satisfied. The Gaussian filters considered in this paper are a particular case of factorizable pulse shaping filters in the DD domain, and this family of filters may be of independent interest.

Zak-OTFS for Integration of Sensing and Communication

The Zak-OTFS input/output (I/O) relation is predictable and non-fading when the delay and Doppler periods are greater than the effective channel delay and Doppler spreads, a condition which we refer to as the crystallization condition. The filter taps can simply be read off from the response to a single Zak-OTFS point (impulse) pulsone waveform, and the I/O relation can be reconstructed for a sampled system that operates under finite duration and bandwidth constraints. Predictability opens up the possibility of a model-free mode of operation. The time-domain realization of a Zak-OTFS point pulsone is a pulse train modulated by a tone, hence the name, pulsone. The Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) of a pulsone is about $15$ dB, and we describe a general method for constructing a spread pulsone for which the time-domain realization has a PAPR of about 6dB. We construct the spread pulsone by applying a type of discrete spreading filter to a Zak-OTFS point pulsone. The self-ambiguity function of the point pulsone is supported on the period lattice ${\Lambda}_{p}$, and by applying a discrete chirp filter, we obtain a spread pulsone with a self-ambiguity function that is supported on a rotated lattice ${\Lambda^*}$. We show that if the channel satisfies the crystallization conditions with respect to ${\Lambda^*}$ then the effective DD domain filter taps can simply be read off from the cross-ambiguity between the channel response to the spread pulsone and the transmitted spread pulsone. If, in addition, the channel satisfies the crystallization conditions with respect to the period lattice ${\Lambda}_{p}$, then in an OTFS frame consisting of a spread pilot pulsone and point data pulsones, after cancelling the received signal corresponding to the spread pulsone, we can recover the channel response to any data pulsone.

OTFS -- Predictability in the Delay-Doppler Domain and its Value to Communication and Radar Sensing

In our first paper [2] we explained why the Zak-OTFS input-output (I/O) relation is predictable and non-fading when the delay and Doppler periods are greater than the effective channel delay and Doppler spreads, a condition which we refer to as the crystallization condition. We argued that a communication system should operate within the crystalline regime. In this paper, we provide an explicit formula for reconstructing the Zak-OTFS I/O relation from a finite number of received pilot symbols in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain. This formula makes it possible to study predictability of the Zak-OTFS I/O relation for a sampled system that operates under finite duration and bandwidth constraints. We analyze reconstruction accuracy for different choices of the delay and Doppler periods, and of the pulse shaping filter. Reconstruction accuracy is high when the crystallization condition is satisfied, implying that it is possible to learn directly the I/O relation without needing to estimate the underlying channel. This opens up the possibility of a model-free mode of operation, which is especially useful when a traditional model-dependent mode of operation (reliant on channel estimation) is out of reach (for example, when the channel comprises of unresolvable paths, or exhibits a continuous delay-Doppler profile such as in presence of acceleration). Our study clarifies the fundamental origins of predictability by revealing how non-predictability appears as a consequence of aliasing in the DD domain. This perspective leads to a canonical decomposition of the effective DD channel as a sum of predictable and non-predictable components, which we refer to as the crystalline decomposition.

OTFS -- A Mathematical Foundation for Communication and Radar Sensing in the Delay-Doppler Domain

Orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) is a framework for communication and active sensing that processes signals in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain. This paper explores three key features of the OTFS framework, and explains their value to applications. The first feature is a compact and sparse DD domain parameterization of the wireless channel, where the parameters map directly to physical attributes of the reflectors that comprise the scattering environment, and as a consequence these parameters evolve predictably. The second feature is a novel waveform / modulation technique, matched to the DD channel model, that embeds information symbols in the DD domain. The relation between channel inputs and outputs is localized, non-fading and predictable, even in the presence of significant delay and Doppler spread, and as a consequence the channel can be efficiently acquired and equalized. By avoiding fading, the post equalization SNR remains constant across all information symbols in a packet, so that bit error performance is superior to contemporary multi-carrier waveforms. Further, the OTFS carrier waveform is a localized pulse in the DD domain, making it possible to separate reflectors along both delay and Doppler simultaneously, and to achieve a high-resolution delay-Doppler radar image of the environment. In other words, the DD parameterization provides a common mathematical framework for communication and radar. This is the third feature of the OTFS framework, and it is ideally suited to intelligent transportation systems involving self-driving cars and unmanned ground/aerial vehicles which are self/network controlled. The OTFS waveform is able to support stable and superior performance over a wide range of user speeds.