A generalized space-frequency index modulation scheme for downlink MIMO transmissions with improved diversity

Multidimensional Index Modulations (IM) are a novel alternative to conventional modulations which can bring considerable benefits for future wireless networks. Within this scope, in this paper we present a new scheme, named as Precoding-aided Transmitter side Generalized Space-Frequency Index Modulation (PT-GSFIM), where part of the information bits select the active antennas and subcarriers which then carry amplitude and phase modulated symbols. The proposed scheme is designed for multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) scenarios and incorporates a precoder which removes multiuser interference (MUI) at the receivers. Furthermore, the proposed PT-GSFIM also integrates signal space diversity (SSD) techniques for tackling the typical poor performance of uncoded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based schemes. By combining complex rotation matrices (CRM) and subcarrier-level interleaving, PT-GSFIM can exploit the inherent diversity in frequency selective channels and improve the performance without additional power or bandwidth. To support reliable detection of the multidimensional PT-GSFIM we also propose three different detection algorithms which can provide different tradeoffs between performance and complexity. Simulation results shows that proposed PT-GSFIM scheme, can provide significant gains over conventional MU-MIMO and GSM schemes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Precoder and combiner design for generalized spatial modulation based multiuser MIMO systems

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) schemes based on generalized spatial modulations (GSM) have been widely considered as potential candidate techniques for next-generation wireless networks, as they can improve both spectral and energy efficiency. In this paper we propose a multi-user MIMO system, where a base station transmits precoded GSM symbols to several receivers. In the adopted GSM approach, multiple antennas transmit different high-level QAM symbols simultaneously. The precoder is designed in order to remove interference between users while an iterative algorithm is applied at the receiver to accomplish single-user GSM detection. Simulation results show that the presented GSM MU-MIMO approach is capable to effectively exploit a large number of transmit antennas deployed at the transmitter and also provide performance gains over conventional MU-MIMO schemes with identical spectral efficiencies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Downlink MIMO-NOMA with and without CSI: A short survey and comparison

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) concatenated with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) or with massive MIMO, has been under scrutiny for both broadband and machine-type communications (MTC), even though it has not been adopted in the latest 5G standard (3GPP Release 16), being left for beyond 5G. This paper dwells on the problems causing such cautiousness, and surveys different NOMA proposals for the downlink in cell-centered systems. Because acquiring channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) may be hard, open-loop operation is an option. However, when users clustering is possible, due to some common statistical CSI, closed-loop operation should be exploited. The paper numerically compares these two operating modes. The users are clustered in beams and then successive interference cancellation (SIC) separates the power-domain NOMA (PD-NOMA) signals at the terminals. In the precoded closed-loop system, the Karhunen-Loève channel decomposition is used assuming that users within a cluster share the same slowly changing spatial correlation matrix. For a comparable number of antennas the two options perform similarly, however, while in the open-loop downlink the number of antennas at the BS is limited in practice, this restriction is waived in the precoded systems, with massive MIMO allowing for a larger number of clusters.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A Tutorial on Interference Exploitation via Symbol-Level Precoding: Overview, State-of-the-Art and Future Directions

IEEE Interference is traditionally viewed as a performance limiting factor in wireless communication systems, which is to be minimized or mitigated. Nevertheless, a recent line of work has shown that by manipulating the interfering signals such that they add up constructively at the receiver side, known interference can be made beneficial and further improve the system performance in a variety of wireless scenarios, achieved by symbol-level precoding (SLP). This paper aims to provide a tutorial on interference exploitation techniques from the perspective of precoding design in a multi-antenna wireless communication system, by beginning with the classification of constructive interference (CI) and destructive interference (DI). The definition for CI is presented and the corresponding mathematical characterization is formulated for popular modulation types, based on which optimization-based precoding techniques are discussed. In addition, the extension of CI precoding to other application scenarios as well as for hardware efficiency is also described. Proof-of-concept testbeds are demonstrated for the potential practical implementation of CI precoding, and finally a list of open problems and practical challenges are presented to inspire and motivate further research directions in this area

System-level assessment of a C-RAN based on generalized space–frequency index modulation for 5G new radio and beyond

Index modulation (IM) has been attracting considerable research efforts in recent years as it is considered a promising technology that can enhance spectral and energy efficiency and help cope with the rising demand of mobile traffic in future wireless networks. In this paper, we propose a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) suitable for fifth-generation (5G) and beyond systems, where the base stations (BSs) and access points (APs) transmit multidimensional IM symbols, which we refer to as precoding-aided transmitter-side generalized space–frequency IM (PT-GSFIM). The adopted PT-GSFIM approach is an alternative multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) scheme that avoids multiuser interference (MUI) while exploiting the inherent diversity in frequency-selective channels. To validate the potential gains of the proposed PT-GSFIM-based C-RAN, a thorough system-level assessment is presented for three different three-dimensional scenarios taken from standardized 5G New Radio (5G NR), using two different numerologies and frequency ranges. Throughput performance results indicate that the 28 GHz band in spite of its higher bandwidth and higher achieved throughput presents lower spectral efficiency (SE). The 3.5 GHz band having lower bandwidth and lower achieved throughput attains higher SE. Overall, the results indicate that a C-RAN based on the proposed PT-GSFIM scheme clearly outperforms both generalized spatial modulation (GSM) and conventional MU-MIMO, exploiting its additional inherent frequency diversity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multidimensional Index Modulation for 5G and Beyond Wireless Networks

This study examines the flexible utilization of existing IM techniques in a comprehensive manner to satisfy the challenging and diverse requirements of 5G and beyond services. After spatial modulation (SM), which transmits information bits through antenna indices, application of IM to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers has opened the door for the extension of IM into different dimensions, such as radio frequency (RF) mirrors, time slots, codes, and dispersion matrices. Recent studies have introduced the concept of multidimensional IM by various combinations of one-dimensional IM techniques to provide higher spectral efficiency (SE) and better bit error rate (BER) performance at the expense of higher transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) complexity. Despite the ongoing research on the design of new IM techniques and their implementation challenges, proper use of the available IM techniques to address different requirements of 5G and beyond networks is an open research area in the literature. For this reason, we first provide the dimensional-based categorization of available IM domains and review the existing IM types regarding this categorization. Then, we develop a framework that investigates the efficient utilization of these techniques and establishes a link between the IM schemes and 5G services, namely enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Additionally, this work defines key performance indicators (KPIs) to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of IM techniques in time, frequency, space, and code dimensions. Finally, future recommendations are given regarding the design of flexible IM-based communication systems for 5G and beyond wireless networks.Comment: This work has been submitted to Proceedings of the IEEE for possible publicatio

Design of terahertz transceiver schemes for ultrahigh-speed wireless communications

Future ultra-high-speed wireless communication systems face difficult challenges due to the fundamental limitations of current technologies operating at microwave frequencies. Supporting high transmission rates will require the use of more spectral resources that are only available at higher frequencies. Within this context, terahertz (THz) communications have been attracting more and more attention, being considered by the research community as one of the most promising research fields on the topic due to the availability of extensive unused bandwidth segments. However, its widespread use is not yet possible due to some obstacles, such as the high propagation losses that occur in this band and the difficulty in designing devices that can effectively perform both transmission and detection tasks. The purpose of this dissertation is to contribute for the solution of both of the aforementioned problems and to propose novel THz transceiver schemes for ultra-high-speed wireless communications. Three main research areas were addressed: device modelling for the THz; index modulation (IM) based schemes for Beyond 5G (B5G) networks and hybrid precoding designs for THz ultra massive (UM) – multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems. The main contributions of this work include the creation of a new design for a reconfigurable THz filter; the proposal of a precoded generalized spatial modulation scheme for downlink MIMO transmissions in B5G networks; the creation of a low-complexity hybrid design algorithm with a near fully-digital performance for multiuser (MU) mmWave/THz ultra massive MIMO systems that can incorporate different analog architectures; and the system-level assessment of cloud radio access network (C-RAN) deployments based on low-complexity hybrid precoding designs for massive MIMO downlink transmissions in B5G networks. The first contribution is especially suited for the implementation of reconfigurable THz filters and optical modulators, since it is based on a simple design, which transits from situations in which it presents a full transparency to situations where it achieves full opacity. Moreover, this approach can also be used for the implementation of simultaneously transmitting and reflecting (STAR) reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) which are important for enabling flexible system designs in RIS-assisted networks. The second contribution showed that the implementation of precoding schemes based on generalised spatial modulations is a solution with a considerable potential for future B5G systems, since it can provide larger throughputs when compared to conventional MU-MIMO schemes with identical spectral efficiencies.The last two contributions showed that through the proposed hybrid design algorithm it becomes possible to replace a fully digital precoder/combiner by a fully-connected or even by a partially-connected architecture (array of subarrays and dynamic array of subarrays), while achieving good tradeoffs between spectral efficiency, power consumption and implementation complexity. These proposals are particularly relevant for the support of UM-MIMO in severely hardware constrained THz systems. Moreover, the capability of achieving significant improvements in terms of throughput performance and coverage over typical cellular networks, when considering hybrid precoding‐based C-RAN deployments in two indoor office scenarios at the THz band, was demonstrated.Os futuros sistemas de comunicação sem fios de velocidade ultra-elevada enfrentam desafios difíceis devido às limitações fundamentais das tecnologias atuais que funcionam a frequências de microondas. O suporte de taxas de transmissão altas exigirá a utilização de mais recursos espectrais que só estão disponíveis em frequências mais elevadas. A banda Terahertz (THz) é uma das soluções mais promissoras devido às suas enormes larguras de banda disponíveis no espectro eletromagnético. No entanto, a sua utilização generalizada ainda não é possível devido a alguns obstáculos, tais como as elevadas perdas de propagação que se verificam nesta banda e a dificuldade em conceber dispositivos que possam desempenhar eficazmente as tarefas de transmissão e deteção. O objetivo desta tese de doutoramento, é contribuir para ambos os problemas mencionados anteriormente e propor novos esquemas de transcetores THz para comunicações sem fios de velocidade ultra-elevada. Três grandes áreas de investigação foram endereçadas, contribuindo individualmente para um todo: a modelação do dispositivo para o THz; esquemas baseados em modulações de índice (IM) para redes pós-5G (B5G) e desenhos de pré-codificadores híbridos para sistemas THz MIMO ultra-massivos. As principais contribuições deste trabalho incluem a criação de um novo design para um filtro THz reconfigurável; a proposta de uma nova tipologia de modulação espacial generalizada pré-codificada para transmissões MIMO de ligação descendente para redes B5G; a criação de um algoritmo de design híbrido de baixa complexidade com desempenho quase totalmente digital para sistemas MIMO multi-utilizador (MU) mmWave/THz ultra massivos que podem incorporar diferentes arquiteturas analógicas e a avaliação das implementações da rede de acesso de rádio na nuvem (C-RAN) com base em designs de pré-codificação híbridos de baixa complexidade para transmissões MIMO de ligação descendente massivas em redes B5G. A primeira contribuição é especialmente adequada para a implementação de filtros THz reconfiguráveis e moduladores óticos, uma vez que se baseia numa concepção mais simples, que transita de situações em que apresenta uma transparência total para situações em que atinge uma opacidade total. Para além disso, esta abordagem também pode ser utilizada para a implementação de superfícies inteligentes reconfiguráveis (RIS) de transmissão e reflexão simultânea (STAR). A segunda contribuição mostrou que a implementação de esquemas de pré-codificação baseados em modulações espaciais generalizadas é uma solução com um potencial considerável para futuros sistemas B5G, uma vez que permite alcançar maiores ganhos em termos de débito binário quando comparado com esquemas convencionais MU-MIMO com eficiências espectrais idênticas. As duas últimas contribuições mostraram que através do algoritmo proposto torna-se possível substituir a utilização de uma arquitectura totalmente digital por uma arquitetura totalmente conectada ou mesmo por uma arquitetura parcialmente conectada (arrays de subarrays e arrays dinâmicos de subarrays), conseguindo-se bons tradeoffs entre eficiência espectral, consumo de energia e complexidade de implementação. Estas propostas são particularmente relevantes para dar suporte a sistemas THz UM-MIMO com restrições severas ao nível de hardware. Demonstrou-se também a capacidade de se alcançar melhorias significativas em termos de débito binário e cobertura em relação a redes celulares típicas, considerando dois cenários na banda THz

Indexed Multiple Access with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: The Reflection Tuning Potential

Indexed modulation (IM) is an evolving technique that has become popular due to its ability of parallel data communication over distinct combinations of transmission entities. In this article, we first provide a comprehensive survey of IM-enabled multiple access (MA) techniques, emphasizing the shortcomings of existing non-indexed MA schemes. Theoretical comparisons are presented to show how the notion of indexing eliminates the limitations of non-indexed solutions. We also discuss the benefits that the utilization of a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) can offer when deployed as an indexing entity. In particular, we propose an RIS-indexed multiple access (RIMA) transmission scheme that utilizes dynamic phase tuning to embed multi-user information over a single carrier. The performance of the proposed RIMA is assessed in light of simulation results that confirm its performance gains. The article further includes a list of relevant open technical issues and research directions.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl