Amplitude-Domain Reflection Modulation for Active RIS-Assisted Wireless Communications

In this paper, we propose a novel active reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted amplitude-domain reflection modulation (ADRM) transmission scheme, termed as ARIS-ADRM. This innovative approach leverages the additional degree of freedom (DoF) provided by the amplitude domain of the active RIS to perform index modulation (IM), thereby enhancing spectral efficiency (SE) without increasing the costs associated with additional radio frequency (RF) chains. Specifically, the ARIS-ADRM scheme transmits information bits through both the modulation symbol and the index of active RIS amplitude allocation patterns (AAPs). To evaluate the performance of the proposed ARIS-ADRM scheme, we provide an achievable rate analysis and derive a closed-form expression for the upper bound on the average bit error probability (ABEP). Furthermore, we formulate an optimization problem to construct the AAP codebook, aiming to minimize the ABEP. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly improves error performance under the same SE conditions compared to its benchmarks. This improvement is due to its ability to flexibly adapt the transmission rate by fully exploiting the amplitude domain DoF provided by the active RIS.

Joint Sparse Graph for Enhanced MIMO-AFDM Receiver Design

Affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM) is a promising chirp-assisted multicarrier waveform for future high-mobility communications. This paper is devoted to enhanced receiver design for multiple input and multiple output AFDM (MIMO-AFDM) systems. Firstly, we introduce a unified variational inference (VI) approach to approximate the target posterior distribution, under which the belief propagation (BP) and expectation propagation (EP)-based algorithms are derived. As both VI-based detection and low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoding can be expressed by bipartite graphs in MIMO-AFDM systems, we construct a joint sparse graph (JSG) by merging the graphs of these two for low-complexity receiver design. Then, based on this graph model, we present the detailed message propagation of the proposed JSG. Additionally, we propose an enhanced JSG (E-JSG) receiver based on the linear constellation encoding model. The proposed E-JSG eliminates the need for interleavers, de-interleavers, and log-likelihood ratio transformations, thus leading to concurrent detection and decoding over the integrated sparse graph. To further reduce detection complexity, we introduce a sparse channel method by approaximating multiple graph edges with insignificant channel coefficients into a single edge on the VI graph. Simulation results show the superiority of the proposed receivers in terms of computational complexity, detection and decoding latency, and error rate performance compared to the conventional ones.

Single Sparse Graph Enhanced Expectation Propagation Algorithm Design for Uplink MIMO-SCMA

Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) are considered as two efficient techniques to provide both massive connectivity and high spectrum efficiency for future machine-type wireless networks. This paper proposes a single sparse graph (SSG) enhanced expectation propagation algorithm (EPA) receiver, referred to as SSG-EPA, for uplink MIMO-SCMA systems. Firstly, we reformulate the sparse codebook mapping process using a linear encoding model, which transforms the variable nodes (VNs) of SCMA from symbol-level to bit-level VNs. Such transformation facilitates the integration of the VNs of SCMA and low-density parity-check (LDPC), thereby emerging the SCMA and LDPC graphs into a SSG. Subsequently, to further reduce the detection complexity, the message propagation between SCMA VNs and function nodes (FNs) are designed based on EPA principles. Different from the existing iterative detection and decoding (IDD) structure, the proposed EPA-SSG allows a simultaneously detection and decoding at each iteration, and eliminates the use of interleavers, de-interleavers, symbol-to-bit, and bit-to-symbol LLR transformations. Simulation results show that the proposed SSG-EPA achieves better error rate performance compared to the state-of-the-art schemes.

Cell-Free MIMO-ISAC: Joint Location and Velocity Estimation and Fundamental CRLB Analysis

This paper investigates joint location and velocity estimation, along with their fundamental performance bounds analysis, in a cell-free multi-input multi-output (MIMO) integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system. First, unlike existing studies that derive likelihood functions for target parameter estimation using continuous received signals, we formulate the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) for radar sensing based on discrete received signals at a given sampling rate. Second, leveraging the proposed MLEs, we derive closed-form Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for joint location and velocity estimation in both single-target and multiple-target scenarios. Third, to enhance computational efficiency, we propose approximate CRLBs and conduct an in-depth accuracy analysis. Additionally, we thoroughly examine the impact of sampling rate, squared effective bandwidth, and time width on CRLB performance. For multiple-target scenarios, the concepts of safety distance and safety velocity are introduced to characterize conditions under which the CRLBs for multiple targets converge to their single target counterparts. Finally, extensive simulations are conducted to verify the accuracy of the proposed CRLBs and the theoretical results using state-of-the-art waveforms, namely orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and orthogonal chirp division multiplexing (OCDM).

Joint Beamforming and Compressed Sensing for Uplink Grant-Free Access

Compressed sensing (CS)-based techniques have been widely applied in the grant-free non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) to a single-antenna base station (BS). In this paper, we consider the multi-antenna reception at the BS for uplink grant-free access for the massive machine type communication (mMTC) with limited channel resources. To enhance the overloading performance of the BS, we develop a general framework for the synergistic amalgamation of the spatial division multiple access (SDMA) technique with the CS-based grant-free NOMA. We derive a closed-form statistical beamforming and a dynamic beamforming scheme for the inter-cluster interference suppression when applying SDMA. Based on this, we further develop a joint adaptive beamforming and subspace pursuit (JABF-SP) algorithm for the multiuser detection and data recovery, with a novel sparsity level decision method without the accurate knowledge of the noise level. To further improve the data recovery performance, we propose an interference cancellation based J-ABF-SP scheme (J-ABF-SP-IC) by using the initial signal estimates generated from the J-ABF-SP algorithm. Illustrative simulations verify the superior user detection and signal recovery performance of our proposed algorithms in comparison with existing CS-based grant-free NOMA techniques.

Pilot and Data Power Control for Uplink Cell-free massive MIMO

This paper introduces a novel iterative algorithm for optimizing pilot and data power control (PC) in cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) systems, aiming to enhance system performance under real-time channel conditions. The approach begins by deriving the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) using a matched filtering receiver and formulating a min-max optimization problem to minimize the normalized mean square error (NMSE). Utilizing McCormick relaxation, the algorithm adjusts pilot power dynamically, ensuring efficient channel estimation. A subsequent max-min optimization problem allocates data power, balancing fairness and efficiency. The iterative process refines pilot and data power allocations based on updated channel state information (CSI) and NMSE results, optimizing spectral efficiency. By leveraging geometric programming (GP) for data power allocation, the proposed method achieves a robust trade-off between simplicity and performance, significantly improving system capacity and fairness. The simulation results demonstrate that dynamic adjustment of both pilot and data PC substantially enhances overall spectral efficiency and fairness, outperforming the existing schemes in the literature.

Latency-Aware Resource Allocation for Integrated Communications, Computation, and Sensing in Cell-Free mMIMO Systems

In this paper, we investigate a cell-free massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO)-enabled integration communication, computation, and sensing (ICCS) system, aiming to minimize the maximum computation latency to guarantee the stringent sensing requirements. We consider a two-tier offloading framework, where each multi-antenna terminal can optionally offload its local tasks to either multiple mobile-edge servers for distributed computation or the cloud server for centralized computation while satisfying the sensing requirements and power constraint. The above offloading problem is formulated as a mixed-integer programming and non-convex problem, which can be decomposed into three sub-problems, namely, distributed offloading decision, beamforming design, and execution scheduling mechanism. First, the continuous relaxation and penalty-based techniques are applied to tackle the distributed offloading strategy. Then, the weighted minimum mean square error (WMMSE) and successive convex approximation (SCA)-based lower bound are utilized to design the integrated communication and sensing (ISAC) beamforming. Finally, the other resources can be judiciously scheduled to minimize the maximum latency. A rigorous convergence analysis and numerical results substantiate the effectiveness of our method. Furthermore, simulation results demonstrate that multi-point cooperation in cell-free massive MIMO-enabled ICCS significantly reduces overall computation latency, in comparison to the benchmark schemes.

Affine Frequency Division Multiplexing: Extending OFDM for Scenario-Flexibility and Resilience

Next-generation wireless networks are conceived to provide reliable and high-data-rate communication services for diverse scenarios, such as vehicle-to-vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles, and satellite networks. The severe Doppler spreads in the underlying time-varying channels induce destructive inter-carrier interference (ICI) in the extensively adopted orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform, leading to severe performance degradation. This calls for a new air interface design that can accommodate the severe delay-Doppler spreads in highly dynamic channels while possessing sufficient flexibility to cater to various applications. This article provides a comprehensive overview of a promising chirp-based waveform named affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM). It is featured with two tunable parameters and achieves optimal diversity order in doubly dispersive channels (DDC). We study the fundamental principle of AFDM, illustrating its intrinsic suitability for DDC. Based on that, several potential applications of AFDM are explored. Furthermore, the major challenges and the corresponding solutions of AFDM are presented, followed by several future research directions. Finally, we draw some instructive conclusions about AFDM, hoping to provide useful inspiration for its development.

Deep Learning-Based Traffic-Aware Base Station Sleep Mode and Cell Zooming Strategy in RIS-Aided Multi-Cell Networks

Advances in wireless technology have significantly increased the number of wireless connections, leading to higher energy consumption in networks. Among these, base stations (BSs) in radio access networks (RANs) account for over half of the total energy usage. To address this, we propose a multi-cell sleep strategy combined with adaptive cell zooming, user association, and reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) to minimize BS energy consumption. This approach allows BSs to enter sleep during low traffic, while adaptive cell zooming and user association dynamically adjust coverage to balance traffic load and enhance data rates through RIS, minimizing the number of active BSs. However, it is important to note that the proposed method may achieve energy-savings at the cost of increased delay, requiring a trade-off between these two factors. Moreover, minimizing BS energy consumption under the delay constraint is a complicated non-convex problem. To address this issue, we model the RIS-aided multi-cell network as a Markov decision process (MDP) and use the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm to optimize sleep mode (SM), cell zooming, and user association. Besides, we utilize a double cascade correlation network (DCCN) algorithm to optimize the RIS reflection coefficients. Simulation results demonstrate that PPO balances energy-savings and delay, while DCCN-optimized RIS enhances BS energy-savings. Compared to systems optimised by the benchmark DQN algorithm, energy consumption is reduced by 49.61%

Advanced Nonlinear SCMA Codebook Design Based on Lattice Constellations

The design of efficient sparse codebooks in sparse code multiple access (SCMA) system have attracted tremendous research attention in the past few years. This paper proposes a novel nonlinear SCMA (NL-SCMA) that can subsume the conventional SCMA system which is referred to as linear SCMA, as special cases for downlink channels. This innovative approach allows a direct mapping of users' messages to a superimposed codeword for transmission, eliminating the need of a codebook for each user. This mapping is referred to as nonlinear mapping (codebook) in this paper. Hence, the primary objective is to design the nonlinear mapping, rather than the linear codebook for each user. We leverage the Lattice constellation to design the superimposed constellation due to its advantages such as the minimum Euclidean distance (MED), constellation volume, design flexibility and shape gain. Then, by analyzing the error patterns of the Lattice-designed superimposed codewords with the aid of the pair-wise error probability, it is found that the MED of the proposed nonlinear codebook is lower bounded by the ``single error pattern''. To this end, an error pattern-inspired codebook design is proposed, which can achieve large MEDs of the nonlinear codebooks. Numerical results show that the proposed codebooks can achieve lower error rate performance over both Gaussian and Rayleigh fading channels than the-state-of-the-art linear codebooks.