A Relay Can Increase Degrees of Freedom in Bursty Interference Networks

We investigate the benefits of relays in multi-user wireless networks with bursty user traffic, where intermittent data traffic restricts the users to bursty transmissions. To this end, we study a two-user bursty MIMO Gaussian interference channel with a relay, where two Bernoulli random states govern the bursty user traffic. We show that an in-band relay can provide a degrees of freedom (DoF) gain in this bursty channel. This beneficial role of in-band relays in the bursty channel is in direct contrast to their role in the non-bursty channel which is not as significant to provide a DoF gain. More importantly, we demonstrate that for certain antenna configurations, an in-band relay can help achieve interference-free performances with increased DoF. We find the benefits particularly substantial with low data traffic, as the DoF gain can grow linearly with the number of antennas at the relay. In this work, we first derive an outer bound from which we obtain a necessary condition for interference-free DoF performances. Then, we develop a novel scheme that exploits information of the bursty traffic states to achieve them.Comment: submitted to the IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

On Cooperative Multiple Access Channels with Delayed CSI at Transmitters

We consider a cooperative two-user multiaccess channel in which the transmission is controlled by a random state. Both encoders transmit a common message and, one of the encoders also transmits an individual message. We study the capacity region of this communication model for different degrees of availability of the states at the encoders, causally or strictly causally. In the case in which the states are revealed causally to both encoders but not to the decoder we find an explicit characterization of the capacity region in the discrete memoryless case. In the case in which the states are revealed only strictly causally to both encoders, we establish inner and outer bounds on the capacity region. The outer bound is non-trivial, and has a relatively simple form. It has the advantage of incorporating only one auxiliary random variable. We then introduce a class of cooperative multiaccess channels with states known strictly causally at both encoders for which the inner and outer bounds agree; and so we characterize the capacity region for this class. In this class of channels, the state can be obtained as a deterministic function of the channel inputs and output. We also study the model in which the states are revealed, strictly causally, in an asymmetric manner, to only one encoder. Throughout the paper, we discuss a number of examples; and compute the capacity region of some of these examples. The results shed more light on the utility of delayed channel state information for increasing the capacity region of state-dependent cooperative multiaccess channels; and tie with recent progress in this framework.Comment: 54 pages. To appear in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1201.327

Capacity Theorems for the Fading Interference Channel with a Relay and Feedback Links

Handling interference is one of the main challenges in the design of wireless networks. One of the key approaches to interference management is node cooperation, which can be classified into two main types: relaying and feedback. In this work we consider simultaneous application of both cooperation types in the presence of interference. We obtain exact characterization of the capacity regions for Rayleigh fading and phase fading interference channels with a relay and with feedback links, in the strong and very strong interference regimes. Four feedback configurations are considered: (1) feedback from both receivers to the relay, (2) feedback from each receiver to the relay and to one of the transmitters (either corresponding or opposite), (3) feedback from one of the receivers to the relay, (4) feedback from one of the receivers to the relay and to one of the transmitters. Our results show that there is a strong motivation for incorporating relaying and feedback into wireless networks.Comment: Accepted to the IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Energy Harvesting Wireless Communications: A Review of Recent Advances

This article summarizes recent contributions in the broad area of energy harvesting wireless communications. In particular, we provide the current state of the art for wireless networks composed of energy harvesting nodes, starting from the information-theoretic performance limits to transmission scheduling policies and resource allocation, medium access and networking issues. The emerging related area of energy transfer for self-sustaining energy harvesting wireless networks is considered in detail covering both energy cooperation aspects and simultaneous energy and information transfer. Various potential models with energy harvesting nodes at different network scales are reviewed as well as models for energy consumption at the nodes.Comment: To appear in the IEEE Journal of Selected Areas in Communications (Special Issue: Wireless Communications Powered by Energy Harvesting and Wireless Energy Transfer