Physical Layer Security in IRS-Assisted Cache-Enabled Satellite Communication Networks

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the physical layer security performance of a cache-enabled satellite communication network that incorporates intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. In the proposed system, content caches are deployed at both the ground station and the satellite, which can improve system performance by reducing latency and transmission overhead. Moreover, the use of IRS provides an additional layer of security by enabling the manipulation of the reflected signals to impede eavesdropping. Practical channel models are used to derive connection probability and secrecy probability for both the ground station-IRS-user and the satellite-IRS-user links. The obtained results are then used to evaluate the system’s secure transmission probability, which is maximized subject to the caching probabilities and transmission rate constraints. The paper presents numerical results to demonstrate the accuracy of the analysis and the effectiveness of deploying IRS and caching to support secure content delivery. The findings provide valuable insights into the potential benefits of utilizing IRS and caching technologies in satellite communication networks for improved physical layer security.