arXiv subjects

Nandana Rajatheva

Publications and source records attributed to Nandana Rajatheva.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Comprehensive Review of Deep Unfolding Techniques for Next-Generation Wireless Communication Systems

The application of machine learning in wireless communications has been extensively explored, with deep unfolding emerging as a powerful model-based technique. Deep unfolding enhances interpretability by transforming complex iterative algorithms into structured layers of deep neural networks (DNNs). This approach seamlessly integrates domain knowledge with deep learning (DL), leveraging the strengths of both methods to simplify complex signal processing tasks in communication systems. To provide a solid foundation, we first present a brief overview of DL and deep unfolding. We then explore the applications of deep unfolding in key areas, including signal detection, channel estimation, beamforming design, decoding for error-correcting codes, sensing and communication, power allocation, and security. Each section focuses on a specific task, highlighting its significance in emerging 6G technologies and reviewing recent advancements in deep unfolding-based solutions. Finally, we discuss the challenges associated with developing deep unfolding techniques and propose potential improvements to enhance their applicability across diverse wireless communication scenarios.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2025

End-to-end Learning of Probabilistic and Geometric Constellation Shaping with Iterative Receivers

An end-to-end learning method for constellation shaping with a shaping-encoder assisted transceiver architecture is presented. The shaping encoder, which produces shaping bits with a higher probability of zeros, is used to produce an efficient symbol probability distribution. Both the probability distribution and the constellation geometry are jointly optimized, using end-to-end learning. Optimized constellations are evaluated using two iterative receiver architectures. Bit error rate (BER) performance gain is quantified against standard amplitude phase-shift keying (APSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations. A maximum BER gain of 0.3 dB and 0.15 dB are observed under two receivers for the learned constellations compared to standard APSK or QAM. The basic approach is extended to incorporate the full iterative detection and decoding loop, using the deep unfolding technique. A bit error rate gain of 0.1 dB is observed for the iterative scheme with learned constellations under block fading channel conditions, when compared to standard APSK.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2025

Max-Min Fairness for Stacked Intelligent Metasurface-Assisted Multi-User MISO Systems

Stacked intelligent metasurface (SIM) is an emerging technology that uses multiple reconfigurable surface layers to enable flexible wave-based beamforming. In this paper, we focus on an \ac{SIM}-assisted multi-user multiple-input single-output system, where it is essential to ensure that all users receive a fair and reliable service level. To this end, we develop two max-min fairness algorithms based on instantaneous channel state information (CSI) and statistical CSI. For the instantaneous CSI case, we propose an alternating optimization algorithm that jointly optimizes power allocation using geometric programming and wave-based beamforming coefficients using the gradient descent-ascent method. For the statistical CSI case, since deriving an exact expression for the average minimum achievable rate is analytically intractable, we derive a tight upper bound and thereby formulate a stochastic optimization problem. This problem is then solved, capitalizing on an alternating approach combining geometric programming and gradient descent algorithms, to obtain the optimal policies. Our numerical results show significant improvements in the minimum achievable rate compared to the benchmark schemes. In particular, for the instantaneous CSI scenario, the individual impact of the optimal wave-based beamforming is significantly higher than that of the power allocation strategy. Moreover, the proposed upper bound is shown to be tight in the low signal-to-noise ratio regime under the statistical CSI.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2025

A CNN-based End-to-End Learning for RIS-assisted Communication System

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is an emerging technology that is used to improve the system performance in beyond 5G systems. In this letter, we propose a novel convolutional neural network (CNN)-based autoencoder to jointly optimize the transmitter, the receiver, and the RIS of a RIS-assisted communication system. The proposed system jointly optimizes the sub-tasks of the transmitter, the receiver, and the RIS such as encoding/decoding, channel estimation, phase optimization, and modulation/demodulation. Numerically we have shown that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the CNN-based autoencoder system is better than the theoretical BER performance of the RIS-assisted communication systems.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2025

Towards Specialized Wireless Networks Using an ML-Driven Radio Interface

Future wireless networks will need to support diverse applications (such as extended reality), scenarios (such as fully automated industries), and technological advances (such as terahertz communications). Current wireless networks are designed to perform adequately across multiple scenarios so they lack the adaptability needed for specific use cases. Therefore, meeting the stringent requirements of next-generation applications incorporating technology advances and operating in novel scenarios will necessitate wireless specialized networks which we refer to as SpecNets. These networks, equipped with cognitive capabilities, dynamically adapt to the unique demands of each application, e.g., by automatically selecting and configuring network mechanisms. An enabler of SpecNets are the recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), which allow to continuously learn and react to changing requirements and scenarios. By integrating AI/ML functionalities, SpecNets will fully leverage the concept of AI/ML-defined radios (MLDRs) that are able to autonomously establish their own communication protocols by acquiring contextual information and dynamically adapting to it. In this paper, we introduce SpecNets and explain how MLDR interfaces enable this concept. We present three illustrative use cases for wireless local area networks (WLANs): bespoke industrial networks, traffic-aware robust THz links, and coexisting networks. Finally, we showcase SpecNets' benefits in the industrial use case by introducing a lightweight, fast-converging ML agent based on multi-armed bandits (MABs). This agent dynamically optimizes channel access to meet varying performance needs: high throughput, low delay, or fair access. Results demonstrate significant gains over IEEE 802.11, highlighting the system's autonomous adaptability across diverse scenarios.

cs.NI↗

arXiv2024

Efficient Channel Prediction for Beyond Diagonal RIS-Assisted MIMO Systems with Channel Aging

Novel reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) architectures, known as beyond diagonal RISs (BD-RISs), have been proposed to enhance reflection efficiency and expand RIS capabilities. However, their passive nature, non-diagonal reflection matrix, and the large number of coupled reflecting elements complicate the channel state information (CSI) estimation process. The challenge further escalates in scenarios with fast-varying channels. In this paper, we address this challenge by proposing novel joint channel estimation and prediction strategies with low overhead and high accuracy for two different RIS architectures in a BD-RIS-assisted multiple-input multiple-output system under correlated fast-fading environments with channel aging. The channel estimation procedure utilizes the Tucker2 decomposition with bilinear alternative least squares, which is exploited to decompose the cascade channels of the BD-RIS-assisted system into effective channels of reduced dimension. The channel prediction framework is based on a convolutional neural network combined with an autoregressive predictor. The estimated/predicted CSI is then utilized to optimize the RIS phase shifts aiming at the maximization of the downlink sum rate. Insightful simulation results demonstrate that our proposed approach is robust to channel aging, and exhibits a high estimation accuracy. Moreover, our scheme can deliver a high average downlink sum rate, outperforming other state-of-the-art channel estimation methods. The results also reveal a remarkable reduction in pilot overhead of up to 98\% compared to baseline schemes, all imposing low computational complexity.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2024

Waveform Learning under Phase Noise Impairment for Sub-THz Communications

The large untapped spectrum in sub-THz allows for ultra-high throughput communication to realize many seemingly impossible applications in 6G. Phase noise (PN) is one key hardware impairment, which is accentuated as we increase the frequency and bandwidth. Furthermore, the modest output power of the power amplifier demands limits on peak to average power ratio (PAPR) signal design. In this work, we design a PN-robust, low PAPR single-carrier (SC) waveform by geometrically shaping the constellation and adapting the pulse shaping filter pair under practical PN modeling and adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) constraints for a given excess bandwidth. We optimize the waveforms under conventional and state-of-the-art PN-aware demappers. Moreover, we introduce a neural-network (NN) demapper enhancing transceiver adaptability. We formulate the waveform optimization problem in its augmented Lagrangian form and use a back-propagation-inspired technique to obtain a design that is numerically robust to PN, while adhering to PAPR and ACLR constraints. The results substantiate the efficacy of the method, yielding up to 2.5 dB in the required Eb/N0 under stronger PN along with a PAPR reduction of 0.5 dB. Moreover, PAPR reductions up to 1.2 dB are possible with competitive BLER and SE performance in both low and high PN conditions.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2024

Machine Learning-Based Channel Prediction for RIS-assisted MIMO Systems With Channel Aging

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have emerged as a promising technology to enhance the performance of sixth-generation (6G) and beyond communication systems. The passive nature of RISs and their large number of reflecting elements pose challenges to the channel estimation process. The associated complexity further escalates when the channel coefficients are fast-varying as in scenarios with user mobility. In this paper, we propose an extended channel estimation framework for RIS-assisted multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) integrated with an autoregressive (AR) predictor. The implemented framework is designed for identifying the aging pattern and predicting enhanced estimates of the wireless channels in correlated fast-fading environments. Insightful simulation results demonstrate that our proposed CNN-AR approach is robust to channel aging, exhibiting a high-precision estimation accuracy. The results also show that our approach can achieve high spectral efficiency and low pilot overhead compared to traditional methods.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2024

5G-Advanced AI/ML Beam Management: Performance Evaluation with Integrated ML Models

The legacy beam management (BM) procedure in 5G introduces higher measurement and reporting overheads for larger beam codebooks resulting in higher power consumption of user equipment (UEs). Hence, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) studied the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the air interface to reduce the overhead associated with the legacy BM procedure. The usage of AI/ML in BM is mainly discussed with regard to spatial-domain beam prediction (SBP) and time-domain beam prediction (TBP). In this study, we discuss different sub-use cases of SBP and TBP and evaluate the beam prediction accuracy of AI/ML models designed for each sub-use case along with AI/ML model generalization aspects. Moreover, a comprehensive system-level performance evaluation is presented in terms of user throughput with integrated AI/ML models to a 3GPP-compliant system-level simulator. Based on user throughput evaluations, we present AI/ML BM design guidelines for the deployment of lightweight, low-complexity AI/ML models discussed in this study.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2024

Constellation Shaping under Phase Noise Impairment for Sub-THz Communications

The large untapped spectrum in the sub-THz allows for ultra-high throughput communication to realize many seemingly impossible applications in 6G. One of the challenges in radio communications in sub-THz is the hardware impairments. Specifically, phase noise is one key hardware impairment, which is accentuated as we increase the frequency and bandwidth. Furthermore, the moderate output power of the sub-THz power amplifier demands limits on peak to average power ratio (PAPR) signal design. Single carrier frequency domain equalization (SC-FDE) has been identified as a suitable candidate for sub-THz, although some challenges such as phase noise and PAPR still remain to be tackled. In this work, we design a phase noise robust, modest PAPR SC waveform by geometrically shaping the constellation under practical conditions. We formulate the waveform optimization problem in its augmented Lagrangian form and use a back-propagation-inspired technique to obtain a constellation design that is numerically robust to phase noise, while maintaining a relatively low PAPR compared to the conventional waveforms.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2023

GDOP Based BS Selection for Positioning in mmWave 5G NR Networks

The fifth-generation (5G) of mobile communication supported by millimetre-wave (mmWave) technology and higher base station (BS) densification facilitate to enhance user equipment (UE) positioning. Therefore, 5G cellular system is designed with many positioning measurements and special positioning reference signals with a multitude of configurations for a variety of use cases, expecting stringent positioning accuracies. One of the major factors that the accuracy of a particular position estimate depends on is the geometry of the nodes in the system, which could be measured with the geometric dilution of precision (GDOP). Hence in this paper, we investigate the time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements based UE positioning accuracy improvement, exploiting the geometric distribution of BSs in mixed LOS and NLOS environment. We propose a BS selection algorithm for UE positioning based on the GDOP of the BSs participating in the positioning process. Simulations are conducted for indoor and outdoor scenarios that use antenna arrays with beam-based mmWave NR communication. Results demonstrate that the proposed BS selection can achieve higher positioning accuracy with fewer radio resources compared to the other BS selection methods.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2023

Decomposition Based Interference Management Framework for Local 6G Networks

Managing inter-cell interference is among the major challenges in a wireless network, more so when strict quality of service needs to be guaranteed such as in ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) applications. This study introduces a novel intelligent interference management framework for a local 6G network that allocates resources based on interference prediction. The proposed algorithm involves an advanced signal pre-processing technique known as empirical mode decomposition followed by prediction of each decomposed component using the sequence-to-one transformer algorithm. The predicted interference power is then used to estimate future signal-to-interference plus noise ratio, and subsequently allocate resources to guarantee the high reliability required by URLLC applications. Finally, an interference cancellation scheme is explored based on the predicted interference signal with the transformer model. The proposed sequence-to-one transformer model exhibits its robustness for interference prediction. The proposed scheme is numerically evaluated against two baseline algorithms, and is found that the root mean squared error is reduced by up to 55% over a baseline scheme.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2023

Automatic and Flexible Transmission of Semantic Map Images using Polar Codes for End-to-End Semantic-based Communication Systems

Semantic communication represents a promising roadmap toward achieving end-to-end communication with reduced communication overhead and an enhanced user experience. The integration of semantic concepts with wireless communications presents novel challenges. This paper proposes a flexible simulation software that automatically transmits semantic segmentation map images over a communication channel. An additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel using binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation is considered as the channel setup. The well-known polar codes are chosen as the channel coding scheme. The popular COCO-Stuff dataset is used as an example to generate semantic map images corresponding to different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). To evaluate the proposed software, we have generated four small datasets, each containing a thousand semantic map samples, accompanied by comprehensive information corresponding to each image, including the polar code specifications, detailed image attributes, bit error rate (BER), and frame error rate (FER). The capacity to generate an unlimited number of semantic maps utilizing desired channel coding parameters and preferred SNR, in conjunction with the flexibility of using alternative datasets, renders our simulation software highly adaptable and transferable to a broad range of use cases.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2023

Minimizing Energy Consumption in MU-MIMO via Antenna Muting by Neural Networks with Asymmetric Loss

Transmit antenna muting (TAM) in multiple-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) networks allows reducing the power consumption of the base station (BS) by properly utilizing only a subset of antennas in the BS. In this paper, we consider the downlink transmission of an MU-MIMO network where TAM is formulated to minimize the number of active antennas in the BS while guaranteeing the per-user throughput requirements. To address the computational complexity of the combinatorial optimization problem, we propose an algorithm called neural antenna muting (NAM) with an asymmetric custom loss function. NAM is a classification neural network trained in a supervised manner. The classification error in this scheme leads to either sub-optimal energy consumption or lower quality of service (QoS) for the communication link. We control the classification error probability distribution by designing an asymmetric loss function such that the erroneous classification outputs are more likely to result in fulfilling the QoS requirements. Furthermore, we present three heuristic algorithms and compare them with the NAM. Using a 3GPP compliant system-level simulator, we show that NAM achieves $\sim73\%$ energy saving compared to the full antenna configuration in the BS with $\sim95\%$ reliability in achieving the user throughput requirements while being around $1000\times$ and $24\times$ less computationally intensive than the greedy heuristic algorithm and the fixed column antenna muting algorithm, respectively.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2023

Deep Learning-Based Blind Multiple User Detection for Grant-free SCMA and MUSA Systems

Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) in 6G requires supporting a massive number of devices with limited resources, posing challenges in efficient random access. Grant-free random access and uplink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) are introduced to increase the overload factor and reduce transmission latency with signaling overhead in mMTC. Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) and Multi-user shared access (MUSA) are introduced as advanced code domain NOMA schemes. In grant-free NOMA, machine-type devices (MTD) transmit information to the base station (BS) without a grant, creating a challenging task for the BS to identify the active MTD among all potential active devices. In this paper, a novel pre-activated residual neural network-based multi-user detection (MUD) scheme for the grant-free SCMA and MUSA system in an mMTC uplink framework is proposed to jointly identify the number of active MTDs and their respective messages in the received signal's sparsity and the active MTDs in the absence of channel state information. A novel residual unit designed to learn the properties of multi-dimensional SCMA codebooks, MUSA spreading sequences, and corresponding combinations of active devices with diverse settings. The proposed scheme learns from the labeled dataset of the received signal and identifies the active MTDs from the received signal without any prior knowledge of the device sparsity level. A calibration curve is evaluated to verify the model's calibration. The application of the proposed MUD scheme is investigated in an indoor factory setting using four different mmWave channel models. Numerical results show that when the number of active MTDs in the system is large, the proposed MUD has a significantly higher probability of detection compared to existing approaches over the signal-to-noise ratio range of interest.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2023

A Combinational Multi-Kernel Decoder for Polar Codes

Polar codes have been selected as the channel coding scheme for control channel in the fifth generation (5G) communication system thanks to their capacity achieving characteristics. However, the traditional polar codes support only codes constructed by binary (2x2) kernel which limits the code lengths to powers of 2. Multi-kernel polar codes are proposed to achieve flexible block length. In this paper, the first combinational decoder for multi-kernel polar codes based on successive cancellation algorithm is proposed. The proposed decoder can decode pure-binary and binary-ternary (3x3) mixed polar codes. The architecture is rate-flexible with the capability of online rate assignment and supports any kernel sequences. The FPGA implementation results reveal that for a code of length N = 48, the coded throughput of 812.1 Mbps can be achieved.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2023

Unrolled Architectures for High-Throughput Encoding of Multi-Kernel Polar Codes

Over the past decade, polar codes have received significant traction and have been selected as the coding method for the control channel in fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication systems. However, conventional polar codes are reliant solely on binary (2x2) kernels, which restricts their block length to being only powers of 2. In response, multi-kernel (MK) polar codes have been proposed as a viable solution to attain greater code length flexibility. This paper proposes an unrolled architecture for encoding both systematic and non-systematic MK polar codes, capable of high-throughput encoding of codes constructed with binary, ternary (3x3), or binary-ternary mixed kernels. The proposed scheme exhibits an unprecedented level of flexibility by supporting 83 different codes and offering various architectures that provide trade-offs between throughput and resource consumption. The FPGA implementation results demonstrate that a partially-pipelined polar encoder of size N=4096 operating at a frequency of 270 MHz gives a throughput of 1080 Gbps. Additionally, a new compiler implemented in Python is given to automatically generate HDL modules for the desired encoders. By inserting the desired parameters, a designer can simply obtain all the necessary VHDL files for FPGA implementation.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2023

Wireless End-to-End Image Transmission System using Semantic Communications

Semantic communication is considered the future of mobile communication, which aims to transmit data beyond Shannon's theorem of communications by transmitting the semantic meaning of the data rather than the bit-by-bit reconstruction of the data at the receiver's end. The semantic communication paradigm aims to bridge the gap of limited bandwidth problems in modern high-volume multimedia application content transmission. Integrating AI technologies with the 6G communications networks paved the way to develop semantic communication-based end-to-end communication systems. In this study, we have implemented a semantic communication-based end-to-end image transmission system, and we discuss potential design considerations in developing semantic communication systems in conjunction with physical channel characteristics. A Pre-trained GAN network is used at the receiver as the transmission task to reconstruct the realistic image based on the Semantic segmented image at the receiver input. The semantic segmentation task at the transmitter (encoder) and the GAN network at the receiver (decoder) is trained on a common knowledge base, the COCO-Stuff dataset. The research shows that the resource gain in the form of bandwidth saving is immense when transmitting the semantic segmentation map through the physical channel instead of the ground truth image in contrast to conventional communication systems. Furthermore, the research studies the effect of physical channel distortions and quantization noise on semantic communication-based multimedia content transmission.

cs.CV↗