Wireless Communications

This paper is concerned with various aspects of the characterization of randomly time-variant linear channels. At the outset it is demonstrated that time-varying linear channels (or filters) may be characterized in an interesting symmetrical manner in time and frequency variables by arranging system functions in (timefrequency) dual pairs. Following this a statistical characterization of randomly time-variant linear channels is carried out in terms of correlation functions for the various system functions. These results are specialized by considering three classes of practically interesting channels. These are the wide-sense stationary (WSS) channel, the uncorrelated scattering (US) channel, and the wide-sense stationary uncorrelated scattering (WSSUS) channel. The WSS and US channels are shown to be (time-frequency) duals. Previous discussions of channel correlation functions and their relationships have dealt exclusively with the WSSUS channel. The point of view presented here of dealing with the dually related system functions and starting with the unrestricted linear channels is considerably more general and places in proper perspective previous results on the WSSUS channel. Some attention is given to the problem of characterizing radio channels. A model called the Quasi-WSSUS channel is presented to model the behavior of such channels. All real-life channels and signals have an essentially finite number of degrees of freedom due to restrictions on time duration and bandwidth. This fact may be used to derive useful canonical channel models with the aid of sampling theorems and power series expansions. Several new canonical channel models are derived in this paper, some of which are dual to those of Kailath.

Characterization of Randomly Time-Variant Linear Channels

In this paper we review the most peculiar and interesting information-theoretic and communications features of fading channels. We first describe the statistical models of fading channels which are frequently used in the analysis and design of communication systems. Next, we focus on the information theory of fading channels, by emphasizing capacity as the most important performance measure. Both single-user and multiuser transmission are examined. Further, we describe how the structure of fading channels impacts code design, and finally overview equalization of fading multipath channels.

/pdf/fading-channels-information-theoretic-and-communications-2ipqbail97.pdf

Fading channels: information-theoretic and communications aspects

We propose joint spatial division and multiplexing (JSDM), an approach to multiuser MIMO downlink that exploits the structure of the correlation of the channel vectors in order to allow for a large number of antennas at the base station while requiring reduced-dimensional channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT). JSDM achieves significant savings both in the downlink training and in the CSIT uplink feedback, thus making the use of large antenna arrays at the base station potentially suitable also for frequency division duplexing (FDD) systems, for which uplink/downlink channel reciprocity cannot be exploited. In the proposed scheme, the multiuser MIMO downlink precoder is obtained by concatenating a prebeamforming matrix, which depends only on the channel second-order statistics, with a classical multiuser precoder, based on the instantaneous knowledge of the resulting reduced dimensional “effective” channel matrix. We prove a simple condition under which JSDM incurs no loss of optimality with respect to the full CSIT case. For linear uniformly spaced arrays, we show that such condition is approached in the large number of antennas limit. For this case, we use Szego's asymptotic theory of Toeplitz matrices to show that a DFT-based prebeamforming matrix is near-optimal, requiring only coarse information about the users angles of arrival and angular spread. Finally, we extend these ideas to the case of a 2-D base station antenna array, with 3-D beamforming, including multiple beams in the elevation angle direction. We provide guidelines for the prebeamforming optimization and calculate the system spectral efficiency under proportional fairness and max-min fairness criteria, showing extremely attractive performance. Our numerical results are obtained via asymptotic random matrix theory, avoiding lengthy Monte Carlo simulations and providing accurate results for realistic (finite) number of antennas and users.

Joint Spatial Division and Multiplexing—The Large-Scale Array Regime

An adaptive digital filtering algorithm that can compensate for both frequency-selective multipath and interference on constant envelope modulated signals is presented. The method exploits the fact that multipath reception and various interference sources generate incidental amplitude modulation on the received signal. A class of so-called constant modulus performance functions is developed which sense this AM term but are insensitive to the angle modulation. Simple adaptive algorithms for finite-impulse-response (FIR) digital filters are developed which employ a gradient search of the performance function. One of the resulting algorithms is simulated for the example of an FM signal degraded by specular multipath propagation. Substantial improvements in noise power ratio (NPR) are observed (e.g., 25 dB) with moderately rapid convergence time. These results are then extended to include tonal interference on a FM signal and intersymbol interference on a QPSK data signal.

A new approach to multipath correction of constant modulus signals

This paper is concerned with characterizing the link between an airplane and a satellite. Attention is focused on the effect of indirect paths scattered from the surface of the earth. Applicable propagation-theoretic and system function-theoretic work is reviewed and integrated. Some new and some known expressions for channel correlation functions are presented for the "steepest descent" channel model.

Aeronautical Channel Characterization

This paper develops a concept of duality, called time-frequency duality, which is applicable to a class of networks called communication-signal-processing networks. Such networks consist of an interconnection of basic elements such as filters, mixers, delay lines, etc. The usefulness of time-frequency duality stems from the fact that two situations which may be quite distinct physically can have identical behavior patterns except for an interchange of the roles played by time and frequency. As a result, the solution to a detection or estimation problem may be found directly from the solution of the dual problem, if known, merely by replacing variables and quantities by their duals. This application of time-frequency duality is illustrated in the paper by the problem of measuring the transfer function of a scatter medium by means of an optimal gating operation prior to spectrum analysis. Another benefit to be obtained from time-frequency duality is the generation of new ideas for communication signal processing techniques. We illustrate this type of benefit by constructing the dual of the Kineplex communication system. A third benefit is the additional insight gained into a communication problem by the ability to look at it in another way. This benefit is illustrated by the characterization of time-variant linear channels. It is demonstrated that such channels may be characterized in an interesting symmetrical manner in time and frequency variables by defining dual system functions.

Time-frequency duality

http://eecs.umich.edu/genchansim/FinalReport.pdf

Generic channel simulator

: The process of probing and measuring an HF channel for use in a stored channel simulator will prove useful only when the investigator has some knowledge of the channel conditions. Of particular interest are the channel Doppler characteristic and multipath structure. The operations required to provide a measure of these parameters include: (1) complex channel reconstruction; (2) prefiltering to improve delay resolution; (3) channel snapshot generation; and (4) Doppler estimation. A set of flexible Fortran programs which meet these specifications are described in detail. Software verification is achieved by means of a program generated single sideband HF test channel. In addition, programming changes to the previously reported channel measurement and reproduction software are documented. These result in significant decreases in computation time.

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA027430&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Phillip A. Bello

Papers

Characterization of Randomly Time-Variant Linear Channels

Aeronautical Channel Characterization

Time-frequency duality

Generic channel simulator

HF Channel Simulation