Degrees Of Freedom Region Research Articles

Transmit Correlation Diversity: Generalization, New Techniques, and Improved Bounds

When the users in a MIMO broadcast channel experience different spatial transmit correlation matrices, a class of gains is produced that is denoted <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">transmit correlation diversity.</i> This idea was conceived for channels in which transmit correlation matrices have mutually exclusive eigenspaces, allowing non-interfering training and transmission. This paper broadens the scope of transmit correlation diversity to the case of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">partially and fully overlapping</i> eigenspaces and introduces techniques to harvest these generalized gains. For the two-user MIMO broadcast channel, we derive achievable degrees of freedom (DoF) and achievable rate regions with/without channel state information at the receiver (CSIR). When CSIR is available, the proposed achievable DoF region is tight in some configurations of the number of receive antennas and the channel correlation ranks. We then extend the DoF results to the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> -user case by analyzing the interference graph that characterizes the overlapping structure of the eigenspaces. Our achievability results employ a combination of product superposition in the common part of the eigenspaces, and pre-beamforming (rate splitting) to create multiple data streams in non-overlapping parts of the eigenspaces. Massive MIMO is a natural example in which spatially correlated link gains are likely to occur. We study the achievable downlink sum rate for a frequency-division duplex massive MIMO system under transmit correlation diversity.

Degrees of Freedom of the K-User Interference Channel Assisted by Active and Passive IRSs

In this paper, we study the degrees of freedom (DoF) region and sum DoF of the time-selective <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-user interference channel in the presence of intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs). We consider both active and passive IRSs. While both types of IRS can attenuate the amplitude and change the phase of a reflected electromagnetic wave, active IRSs are also capable of amplifying the wave. We derive inner and outer bounds for the DoF region and lower and upper bounds for the sum DoF of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-user interference channel in the presence of an active IRS and prove that the maximum value of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for the sum DoF can be achieved if the number of IRS elements exceeds a certain finite value. The analysis framework developed for active IRSs forms the basis for our analysis of passive IRS-assisted systems. In particular, we present probabilistic inner and outer bounds for the DoF region and probabilistic lower and upper bounds for the sum DoF of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-user interference channel in the presence of a passive IRS and prove that the lower bound for the sum DoF asymptotically approaches <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> as the number of IRS elements grows large.

The DoF region of two‐user MIMO broadcast channel with delayed imperfect‐quality CSIT

The channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) play an important role in the performance of wireless networks. The CSIT model can be delayed and imperfect-quality, since the feedback link has a delay and the channel state information (CSI) feedback has distortion. In this paper, we thus characterize the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region of the two-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channel with delayed imperfect-quality CSIT, where the antenna configurations can be arbitrary. The converse proof of DoF region is based on the enhancement of physically degraded channel. The achievability proof of DoF region is through a novel transmission scheme design, where the duration of each phase and the amount of transmitted symbols are configured based on the imperfect-quality of delayed CSIT. As a result, we show that the DoF region with delayed imperfect-quality CSIT is located between the DoF region with no CSIT and the DoF region with delayed CSIT.

Achievable DoF Regions of Three-User MIMO Broadcast Channel With Delayed CSIT

For the two-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channel with delayed channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) and arbitrary antenna configurations, all the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) regions are obtained. However, for the three-user MIMO broadcast channel with delayed CSIT and arbitrary antenna configurations, the DoF region of order-2 messages is still unclear and only a partial achievable DoF region of order-1 messages is obtained, where the order-2 messages and order-1 messages are desired by two receivers and one receiver, respectively. In this paper, for the three-user MIMO broadcast channel with delayed CSIT and arbitrary antenna configurations, we first design transmission schemes for order-2 messages and order-1 messages. Next, we propose to analyze the achievable DoF region of transmission scheme by transformation approach. In particular, we transform the decoding condition of transmission scheme w.r.t. phase duration into the achievable DoF region w.r.t. achievable DoF, through achievable DoF tuple expression connecting phase duration and achievable DoF. As a result, the DoF region of order-2 messages is characterized and an achievable DoF region of order-1 messages is completely expressed. Besides, for order-1 messages, we derive the sufficient condition, under which the proposed achievable DoF region is the DoF region.

Degrees of Freedom Region of the (M, N₁, N₂) MIMO Broadcast Channel With Partial CSIT: An Application of Sum-Set Inequalities Based on Aligned Image Sets

The degrees of freedom (DoF) region is characterized for the 2-user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) broadcast channel (BC), where the transmitter is equipped with M antennas, the two receivers are equipped with N <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> and N <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> antennas, and the levels of channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) for the two users are parameterized by β <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sub> , β <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> , respectively. The achievability of the DoF region was established by Hao, Rassouli and Clerckx, but no proof of optimality was heretofore available. The proof of optimality is provided in this work with the aid of sum-set inequalities based on the aligned image sets (AIS) approach.

On DoF-Based Interference Cancellation Under General Channel Rank Conditions

Degree-of-freedom (DoF) based models have become prevalent in studying MIMO-based wireless networks. However, most existing DoF-based models assume the channel matrix is of full-rank. Such a simplifying assumption has gradually become problematic, particularly when the number of antennas increases and the propagation environment is not close to ideal. In this paper, we address this problem by developing a general theory for the DoF-based model under general channel rank conditions. We start with a fundamental understanding on how MIMO’s DoFs are consumed at each node for spatial multiplexing (SM) and interference cancellation (IC) in the presence of rank-deficient channels. Based on this understanding, we develop a DoF model that can be used for identifying the DoF region of a multi-link MIMO network and for studying DoF scheduling in MIMO networks under general channel rank conditions. Specifically, we find that for IC, shared DoF consumption at both transmit and receive nodes is critical for efficient DoF allocation. Further, we show that DoF consumption under the existing full-rank assumption is a special case of our generalized DoF model. Based on case studies, we show that the general IC model can achieve larger feasible DoF regions or improved objective values than existing unilateral IC models. The findings of this paper pave the way for future research of many-antenna networks under general channel rank conditions.

On the Separability of Parallel MISO Broadcast Channels Under Partial CSIT: A Degrees of Freedom Region Perspective

We study the K-user, M-subchannel parallel multiple-input-single-output (MISO) broadcast channel (BC) under arbitrary levels of partial channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). We show that the parallel subchannels constituting this setting are separable from a degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region perspective if and only if the partial CSIT pattern is totally ordered. This total order condition corresponds to users abiding by the same order, with respect to their CSIT quality levels, in each of the parallel subchannels. For instance, let α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">k</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[l]</sup> and α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">j</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[l]</sup> be the CSIT quality parameters for users k and j over subchannel l. Under total order, having α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">k</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[l]</sup> ≥ α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">j</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[l]</sup> implies that α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">k</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[m]</sup> ≥ α <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">j</sub> <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[m]</sup> holds for every subchannel m. In this case, the entire DoF region is achievable using simple separate coding, where a single-subchannel-type transmission scheme is employed in each subchannel. To show this separability result, we first derive an outer bound for the DoF region by extending the aligned image sets approach of Davoodi and Jafar to the considered setting. We then show that this outer bound coincides with the inner bound achieved through separate coding, given by the Minkowski sum of M single-subchannel DoF regions, under the total order condition, hence settling the if part of the main theorem. To prove the only if part of the theorem, we identify a set of DoF tuples achievable through joint coding across subchannels, yet not achievable through separate coding whenever the total order condition is violated. Moreover, we also highlight the implications of our main result on the design of CSIT feedback schemes for multi-carrier multi-antenna wireless networks.

Opportunistic Topological Interference Management

The topological interference management (TIM) problem studies the degrees of freedom (DoF) of partially-connected interference networks with no channel state information (CSI) at the transmitters except the network topology (i.e., partial connectivity). In this paper, we consider a variant of the TIM problem with uncertainty in network topology, where the channel state with partial connectivity is only known to belong to one of $M$ states at the transmitters. In particular, the transmitter has access to all network topological information over $M$ states, but is unaware of which state it falls in exactly for communication. The receiver at any state is aware of the exact state it falls in besides the network topologies of all states, and wish to recover as much highly-prioritized information at current state as possible. We formulate it as the opportunistic TIM problem with network uncertainty modeled by $M$ state-varying network topologies. To adapt to network topology uncertainty and different message decoding priority, joint encoding and opportunistic decoding are enabled at the transmitters and receivers respectively. Specifically, being aware of all possible network topologies, each transmitter sends a signal jointly encoded from all messages desired over $M$ states, say $M$ distinct messages, and at a certain State $m$ , Receiver $k$ wishes to opportunistically decode the first $\pi _{k}(m) \in \{1,2,\cdots,M\}$ higher-priority messages. Under this opportunistic TIM setting, we construct a multi-state conflict graph to capture the mutual conflict of messages over $M$ states, and characterize the optimal DoF region of two classes of network topologies via polyhedral combinatorics. A remarkable fact is that, under an additional mild monotonous condition, the optimality conditions of orthogonal access and one-to-one interference alignment still apply to TIM with uncertainty in network topology.

Degrees-of-Freedom of the MIMO Three-Way Channel With Node-Intermittency

The characterization of fundamental performance bounds of many-to-many communication systems in which participating nodes are active in an intermittent way is one of the major challenges in communication theory. In order to address this issue, we introduce the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) three-way channel (3WC) with an intermittent node and study its degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region and sum-DoF. We devise a non-adaptive encoding scheme based on zero-forcing, interference alignment and erasure coding, and show its DoF region (and thus sum-DoF) optimality for non-intermittent 3WCs and its sum-DoF optimality for (node-)intermittent 3WCs. However, we show by example that in general some DoF tuples in the intermittent 3WC can only be achieved by adaptive schemes, such as decode-forward relaying. This shows that non-adaptive encoding is sufficient for the non-intermittent 3WC and for the sum-DoF of intermittent 3WCs, but adaptive encoding is necessary for the DoF region of intermittent 3WCs. Our work contributes to a better understanding of the fundamental limits of multi-way communication systems with intermittency and the impact of adaptation therein.

On the Degrees-of-Freedom of Two-Unicast Wireless Networks With Delayed CSIT

We characterize the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region of a class of two-unicast wireless networks under the assumption of delayed channel state information at the transmitters. We consider a layered topology with arbitrary connectivity, and we introduce new outer-bounds on the DoF region of such networks through the graph-theoretic notion of bottleneck nodes. Such nodes act as informational bottlenecks only under the assumption of delayed channel state information. We also present new transmission schemes that achieve the outer-bounds. We show that unlike the instantaneous channel state information model, the sum DoF of two-unicast networks with delayed channel knowledge can take an infinite set of values. In this paper, we compare our results to the best previously known outer-bounds, and we show that the gap can be arbitrary large in favor.

Treating Content Delivery in Multi-Antenna Coded Caching as General Message Sets Transmission: A DoF Region Perspective

Coded caching can create coded multicasting thus significantly accelerates content delivery in broadcast channels with receiver caches. While the original delivery scheme in coded caching multicasts each coded message sequentially, it is not optimal for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channels. This work aims to investigate the full spatial multiplexing gain in multi-antenna coded caching by transmitting all coded messages concurrently. In specific, we propose to treat the content delivery as the transmission problem with general message sets where all possible messages are present, each with different length and intended for different user set. We first obtain inner and outer bounds of the degrees of freedom (DoF) region of a $K$-user $(M,N)$ broadcast channel with general message sets, with $M$ and $N$ being the number of transmit and receive antennas, respectively. Then for any given set of coded messages, we find its minimum normalized delivery time (NDT) by searching the optimal DoF tuple in the DoF regions. The obtained minimum NDT is optimal at antenna configuration $\frac{M}{N} \in (0,1]\cup[K, \infty)$ and is within a multiplicative gap of $\frac{M}{N}$ to optimum at $\frac{M}{N} \in (1,K)$. Our NDT results can be evaluated for any user demand with both centralized and decentralized cache placement.

Degrees of Freedom of 2-Tier Networks Without Channel State Information at the Transmitter

We characterize the degrees of freedom (DoF) of the two-tier heterogeneous networks without channel state information at the transmitters or cooperation among transmitters. We consider conventional transmitters while the users are equipped with a multimode receiver. In contrast to previous works focused on two-tier networks, the derived DoF consider the management of the intracell, the intercell, and intertier interference. The derived bounds define the DoF region for any two-tier network. Furthermore, these bounds are achievable by combining blind interference alignment schemes properly.

Optimal DoF Region of the MIMO Butterfly Network

A butterfly network is a classical model to demonstrate the throughput advantage of the network coding technique over wireline networks. We are curious about what happens if the wireless network is considered instead, especially for the multiple-antenna scenarios. In this letter, we study this problem and aim to fully characterize the degrees of freedom (DoF) region for the multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) butterfly network in the general setting. It turns out that significant DoF gains can be achieved if more advanced interference management schemes than the conventional time-sharing one are employed for the MIMO butterfly network, which is quite similar to the case of its wireline counterpart. Moreover, an existence proof based on the algebraic topology is provided in this letter, which may be of independent interest.

Gaussian Broadcast Channels With Intermittent Connectivity and Hybrid State Information at the Transmitter

In wireless networks, the link connectivity may be intermittent due to shadowing, burstiness of data arrival, or uncoordinated resource allocation. In this paper, we model the intermittence of links as Bernoulli distributed random channel states, termed intermittence channel states , and study the impact of the corresponding channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) in a two-user Gaussian broadcast channel (BC). Moreover, due to the heterogeneous timeliness of intermittence channel states, the CSIT considered in this paper is hybrid . More specifically, the CSIT of each link can be perfectly (causally or non-causally) available, delayed, or not available. When the links are connected, we adopt a general setting that the received signal-to-noise ratios can be different. Our contribution is the characterization of the capacity regions of intermittent Gaussian BC to within bounded gaps for all combinations of hybrid CSIT, except for scenario DN (delayed CSIT of receiver 1, no CSIT of receiver 2). For scenario DN, we propose an opportunistic physical layer network coding scheme that achieves a strictly larger degree-of-freedom (DoF) region than the no-CSIT DoF region. As a corollary, single-user CSIT is able to increase the sum DoF for intermittent Gaussian BC (also the capacity region for the erasure BC, as a by-product). This result is in sharp contrast to the recent negative result by Davoodi and Jafar, where it is shown that for fast-fading multiple-input single-output BC with continuous channel states, single-user CSIT does not help at all in terms of sum DoF.

TDMA is Optimal for All-Unicast DoF Region of TIM if and only if Topology is Chordal Bipartite

The main result of this paper is that an orthogonal access scheme, such as time division multiple access achieves the all-unicast degrees of freedom (DoF) region of the topological interference management problem if and only if the network topology graph is chordal bipartite, i.e., every cycle that can contain a chord, does contain a chord. The all-unicast DoF region includes the DoF region for any arbitrary choice of a unicast message set, so e.g., the results of Maleki and Jafar on the optimality of orthogonal access for the sum-DoF of one-dimensional convex networks are recovered as a special case. The result is also established for the corresponding topological representation of the index coding problem.

On the DoF Region for the Asymmetric MIMO Two-Way X Relay Channel

In this paper, we study the degrees of freedom (DoF) region for the multiple-input multiple-output two-way X relay channel with asymmetric antenna setting. In this channel model, there are two groups of source nodes, each group contains two source nodes, every source node in one group exchanges independent messages with every source node in another group via a common relay node, and each node has a different number of antennas. First, we derive an outer bound of the DoF region by using the cut-set theorem and the genie-message approach. Then, we obtain an inner bound of the DoF region by proposing a new transmission scheme that collectively utilizes antenna deactivation, pairwise signal alignment, cyclic signal alignment, and generalized signal alignment techniques. In the case of symmetric data exchange, our inner bound coincides with the outer bound, and thus, our proposed transmission strategy is optimal. We also obtain the optimal sum DoF for the special case, where the source nodes within a same group are equipped with the same number of antennas. This paper provides new insights for the study of more complicated relay networks.

Achievable DoF Regions of MIMO Networks With Imperfect CSIT

We focus on a two-receiver Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) Broadcast Channel (BC) and Interference Channel (IC) with an arbitrary number of antennas at each node. We assume an imperfect knowledge of local Channel State Information at the Transmitters (CSIT), whose error decays with the Signal-to-Noise-Ratio. With such configuration, we characterize the achievable Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF) regions in both BC and IC, by proposing a Rate-Splitting approach, which divides each receiver's message into a common part and a private part. Compared to the RS scheme designed for the symmetric MIMO case, this scheme is suitable for the general asymmetric deployment with an arbitrary number of antennas at each node. In BC, the proposed block 1) employs an unequal power allocation to the private messages of the two receivers, 2) exploits the benefit of having an extra spatial dimension at one receiver, and 3) is carried out with a Space-Time transmission. These features enable the scheme to yield a greater DoF region than trivially extending the scheme designed for the symmetric case. In IC, we modify the scheme proposed for the BC case by applying a linear transformation to the channel matrices. Such a linear transformation allows us to identify the signal space where the two transmitted signals interfere with each other and propose a proper power allocation policy. The achievable DoF regions are shown to be optimal for some antenna configurations.

The Degrees of Freedom of the Interference Channel With a Cognitive Relay Under Delayed Feedback

This paper studies the interference channel with a cognitive relay under delayed feedback. Three types of delayed feedback are studied: delayed channel state information at the transmitter, delayed output feedback, and delayed Shannon feedback. Outer bounds are derived for the degrees of freedom (DoF) region of the two-user multiple-input multiple-output interference channel with a cognitive relay with delayed feedback as well as without feedback. For the single-input single-output scenario, optimal schemes are proposed based on retrospective interference alignment. It is shown that while a cognitive relay without feedback cannot improve the sum-DoF in the two-user single-input single-output interference channel, delayed feedback in the same scenario can increase the sum-DoF to $4/3$ . For the multiple-input multiple-output case, achievable schemes are obtained via extensions of retrospective interference alignment, leading to the DoF regions that meet the respective upper bounds.

On the DoF Region of the MIMO Gaussian Two-User Interference Channel With an Instantaneous Relay

This paper studies inner and outer bounds on the degrees of freedom (DoF) region of the multi-antenna two-user Gaussian interference channel with an instantaneous relay (IR) or relay without delay. It is assumed that the two transmitters and the two receivers have $\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {M}}}\nolimits$ antennas, while the IR receives through $\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{r}}}}\nolimits$ antennas and transmits through $\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{t}}}}\nolimits$ antennas. In the proposed achievable scheme, which generalizes a known one for the case $\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {M}}}\nolimits = \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{r}}}}\nolimits = \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{t}}}}\nolimits$ to any $(\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {M}}}\nolimits, \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{r}}}}\nolimits, \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{t}}}}\nolimits)$ , the IR performs memoryless linear operations on its received signal so as to neutralize interference at the receivers, and the beamforming matrices used by the IR and the transmitters are jointly designed. This joint design strictly outperforms known achievable schemes. Two outer bounds are derived. An information theoretic outer bound is obtained by giving the receivers or the IR genie side information, so that the DoF region of the resulting enhanced channel is known; this converse is valid for any type of processing at the IR and shows the optimality of the proposed achievable scheme for some $(\mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {M}}}\nolimits, \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{r}}}}\nolimits, \mathop {\mathrm {\mathsf {N_{t}}}}\nolimits)$ . A linear processing outer bound is obtained when the IR is restricted to performs linear operations, without any memoryless restriction, on its received signal and shows the optimality of the proposed achievable scheme among all linear processing schemes at the IR. As a result of independent interest, the DoF region of the classical multi-antenna two-user Gaussian interference channel without relay when the channel matrices can have any structure is also derived, which generalized available DoF region results that were derived under certain assumptions on the structure of the channel matrices.

The DoF Region of the Three-Receiver Gaussian MIMO Broadcast Channel With Receiver Message Side Information

We consider the three-receiver Gaussian multiple-input multiple-output broadcast channel with an arbitrary number of antennas at the transmitter and the receivers. We investigate the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region of the channel when each receiver requests a private message, and may know some of the messages requested by the other receivers as receiver message side information (RMSI). We establish the DoF region of the channel for all 16 possible non-isomorphic RMSI configurations by deriving tight inner and outer bounds on the region. To derive the inner bounds, we first propose a scheme for each RMSI configuration, which exploits both the null space and the side information of the receivers. We then use these schemes in conjunction with time sharing for 15 RMSI configurations, and with time sharing and two-symbol extension for the remaining one. To derive the outer bounds, we construct enhanced versions of the channel for each RMSI configuration, and upper bound their DoF region. After establishing the DoF region, in the case where all the nodes have the same number of antennas, we introduce some common properties of the DoF region, and the capacity region of the index coding problem.