Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Wireless Communications: Principles, Challenges, and Opportunities

Recently there has been a flurry of research on the use of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) in wireless networks to create smart radio environments. In a smart radio environment, surfaces are capable of manipulating the propagation of incident electromagnetic waves in a programmable manner to actively alter the channel realization, which turns the wireless channel into a controllable system block that can be optimized to improve overall system performance. In this article, we provide a tutorial overview of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) for wireless communications. We describe the working principles of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and elaborate on different candidate implementations using metasurfaces and reflectarrays. We discuss the channel models suitable for both implementations and examine the feasibility of obtaining accurate channel estimates. Furthermore, we discuss the aspects that differentiate RIS optimization from precoding for traditional MIMO arrays highlighting both the arising challenges and the potential opportunities associated with this emerging technology. Finally, we present numerical results to illustrate the power of an RIS in shaping the key properties of a MIMO channel.Comment: to appear in the IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking (TCCN

Wideband performance comparison between the 40 GHz and 60 GHz frequency bands for indoor radio channels

When 5G networks are to be deployed, the usability of millimeter-wave frequency allocations seems to be left out of the debate. However, there is an open question regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the main candidates for this allocation: The use of the licensed spectrum near 40 GHz or the unlicensed band at 60 GHz. Both bands may be adequate for high performance radio communication systems, and this paper provides insight into such alternatives. A large measurement campaign supplied enough data to analyze and to evaluate the network performance for both frequency bands in different types of indoor environments: Both large rooms and narrow corridors, and both line of sight and obstructed line of sight conditions. As a result of such a campaign and after a deep analysis in terms of wideband parameters, the radio channel usability is analyzed with numerical data regarding its performance

Analytical Model for Outdoor Millimeter Wave Channels using Geometry-Based Stochastic Approach

The severe bandwidth shortage in conventional microwave bands has spurred the exploration of the millimeter wave (MMW) spectrum for the next revolution in wireless communications. However, there is still lack of proper channel modeling for the MMW wireless propagation, especially in the case of outdoor environments. In this paper, we develop a geometry-based stochastic channel model to statistically characterize the effect of all the first-order reflection paths between the transmitter and receiver. These first-order reflections are generated by the single-bounce of signals reflected from the walls of randomly distributed buildings. Based on this geometric model, a closed-form expression for the power delay profile (PDP) contributed by all the first-order reflection paths is obtained and then used to evaluate their impact on the MMW outdoor propagation characteristics. Numerical results are provided to validate the accuracy of the proposed model under various channel parameter settings. The findings in this paper provide a promising step towards more complex and practical MMW propagation channel modeling.Comment: Accepted to appear in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technolog

Wideband performance comparison between the 40 GHz and 60 GHz frequency bands for indoor radio channels

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