Millimeter wave (mm-wave) communication is expected to be widely deployed in fifth generation (5G) wireless networks due to the substantial bandwidth available for licensed and unlicensed use at mm-wave frequencies. To overcome the higher path loss observed at mm-wave bands, most prior work focused on the design of directional beamforming using analog and/or hybrid beamforming techniques in large-scale multiple-input multiple-output systems. Obtaining potential gains from highly directional beamforming in practical systems hinges on sufficient levels of channel estimation accuracy, where the problem of channel estimation becomes more challenging due to the substantial training overhead needed to sound all directions using a high-resolution narrow beam. In this paper, we consider the design of multi-resolution beamforming sequences to enable the system to quickly search out the dominant channel direction for single-path channels. The resulting design generates a multilevel beamforming sequence that strikes a balance between minimizing the training overhead and maximizing beamforming gain, where a subset of multilevel beamforming vectors is chosen adaptively to maximize the average data rate within a constrained time. We propose an efficient method to design a hierarchical multi-resolution codebook utilizing a Butler matrix, i.e., a generalized discrete Fourier transform matrix. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

This paper investigates the physical layer security and data transmission for the underlay device-to-device (D2D) networks, and considers a combination of the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) and full-duplex (FD) jamming receiver for the robustness and security enhancements of the system. In the demonstrated spectrum sharing setup, the total power of the D2D networks is conceived to the transmitter and receiver to transmit a private message and emit the artificial noise (AN) signals. To prevent information leakage, a beamforming design is presented for a multi-antenna FD D2D receiver in order to suppress and inject the AN signals in the direction of legitimate users and eavesdropper, respectively. The statistical characterization of end-to-end RIS-assisted wireless channels is presented, and the achievable ergodic secrecy rate of the system is derived in novel approximate expressions. The numerical and simulation results confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed analytical framework. The results demonstrate an optimal selection of the D2D power allocations for different number of reflecting elements in terms of achievable ergodic secrecy rates of the system.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have been considered as a promising technology for the sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks that can control wireless channels in a desirable way and significantly enhance the network performance. Simultaneous transmitting and reflecting-RISs (STAR-RISs) can overcome limitation of reflecting-only RISs by leveraging the higher design flexibility and full-space coverage. Despite the benefits, the modeling and analysis of STAR-RISs are complicated because of various control parameters for both transmission and reflection links. In this article, a general framework to facilitate the design and implementation of STAR-RISs in 6G scenarios and network topologies is presented. We provide a systematic introduction to the STAR-RIS operating protocols for different communication modes and discuss recent efforts to identify the research progress and combination solutions. Finally, we provide the design concepts, research challenges, potential solutions, and future directions related to the channel modeling, channel estimation, hardware implementations, modeling and limitations, and optimization.

The low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite network has emerged as a promising technology for providing global coverage with high data rates. However, analyzing the performance of the LEO satellite network is particularly challenging due to its dependence on several orbit geometry parameters, such as satellite altitude and inclination angle. This paper introduces a novel systematic analysis framework for the LEO satellite network, emphasizing the significance of orbit geometric parameters. We model the location of satellites in a circular orbit according to a one-dimensional homogeneous Poisson point process. Utilizing this model, we derive the distribution of the nearest distance between a satellite and a fixed user’s location on Earth as a function of orbit-geometry parameters. Leveraging this distribution, we characterize the coverage probability of a single-orbit LEO network, considering both small and large-scale fading effects. We then extend our coverage analysis to multi-orbit networks, demonstrating the advantages of utilizing multi-orbit satellite networks in terms of coverage probability. Finally, we present simulation results to validate the proposed model and its accuracy.

In this paper, the problem of training signal design for intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication under a sparse channel model is considered. The problem is approached based on the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRB) on the mean-square error (MSE) of channel estimation. By exploiting the sparse structure of mmWave channels, the CRB for the channel parameter composed of path gains and path angles is derived in closed form under Bayesian and hybrid parameter assumptions. Based on the derivation and analysis, an IRS reflection pattern design method is proposed by minimizing the CRB as a function of design variables under constant modulus constraint on reflection coefficients. Extensions of the proposed design to a multi-antenna transceiver, a uniform planar array (UPA)-based IRS, and multi-user case are discussed. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed design method for sparse mmWave channel estimation.