Robust Beamforming Design for Secure Uplink NOMA-ISAC

Integrated sensing and communication is an important technology for sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks, enabling the joint use of communication and radar sensing within a unified system. While offering significant benefits in terms of spectral efficiency, ISAC introduces new security challenges. In particular, the joint use of resources for sensing and communication can increase vulnerability to eavesdropping and information leakage. In this paper, we study an uplink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) system where the base station (BS) simultaneously receives user data and senses a potential eavesdropper (Eve) with uncertain location. To enhance the physical-layer security, a robust sensing signal is designed to both sense and jam Eve. We formulate a joint optimization problem that aims to maximize the users' sum rate and the BS sensing performance while maintaining security against Eve. Since the resulting optimization problem is non-convex, we develop an iterative alternating optimization (AO) algorithm that decomposes it into two tractable subproblems. In the first subproblem, the receive combining vectors are optimized in closed form using generalized eigenvalue decomposition. In the second subproblem, the transmit beamforming matrices and sensing power are jointly optimized via semidefinite relaxation (SDR) and successive convex approximation (SCA). Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution in terms of fast convergence and resource allocation.

Decoupled Delay-Doppler and Angle Estimation in BD-RIS Sensing via Nested Tucker Decomposition

We study single-target localization in a group-connected beyond-diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS)-assisted monostatic network with K element groups. We propose a Nested Tensor Factorization and Estimation (NTFE) algorithm that models the received signal as a 3rd-order nested Tucker tensor, decoupling the delay-Doppler and angle domains. The resulting two-stage procedure estimates the target-bearing tensor factors and then extracts the other physical parameters using subspace and closed-form steps. We also analyze identifiability and uniqueness conditions. Simulations show that NTFE exploits the group-connected BD-RIS structure and outperforms state-of-the-art sensing benchmarks.

Multi-Target Estimation via Tensor Decomposition for Beyond Diagonal RIS-Aided Bistatic Sensing

We investigate the performance of beyond-diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (BD-RIS) for bistatic MIMO multi-target sensing using a two-stage tensor Doppler-delay-angle estimation (TenDAE). The first stage solves a Kronecker sum approximation (KSA) with a rank equal to the number of targets. The second stage employs a nested tensor factorization estimation (NTFE) that exploits the inherent multidimensional structure via two tensor decompositions that are solved in parallel. The first employs a PARAFAC decomposition to extract the targets' angles, and the second uses a nested PARAFAC decomposition to find the targets' delay and Doppler parameters. This two-stage approach decouples acquisition of the angles and delays/Dopplers using either alternating least squares or a higher-order singular value decomposition, followed by a high-resolution subspace technique, such as ESPRIT. We further compare the performance of a BD-RIS with a classical diagonal RIS. For the latter, we solve a Khatri-Rao sum approximation problem rather than the KSA due to the specific structure of the received signal. Notably, our NTFE framework remains blind to the underlying RIS architecture while simultaneously estimating all targets with minimal sensing resources. Additionally, we show that employing a nested-PARAFAC decomposition enables the decoupling of the delay-Doppler and angle domains. We also derive the Cramér-Rao lower bound to further assess the performance of the TenDAE framework. Finally, we numerically evaluate the solutions presented in this paper and demonstrate their efficiency in terms of RMSE compared with state-of-the-art approaches.

Knowledge Distillation for Collaborative Learning in Distributed Communications and Sensing

The rise of sixth generation (6G) wireless networks promises to deliver ultra-reliable, low-latency, and energy-efficient communications, sensing, and computing. However, traditional centralized artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms are ill-suited to the decentralized, resource-constrained, and dynamic nature of 6G ecosystems. This paper explores knowledge distillation (KD) and collaborative learning as promising techniques that enable the efficient and scalable deployment of lightweight AI models across distributed communications and sensing (C&S) nodes. We begin by providing an overview of KD and highlight the key strengths that make it particularly effective in distributed scenarios characterized by device heterogeneity, task diversity, and constrained resources. We then examine its role in fostering collective intelligence through collaborative learning between the central and distributed nodes via various knowledge distilling and deployment strategies. Finally, we present a systematic numerical study demonstrating that KD-empowered collaborative learning can effectively support lightweight AI models for multi-modal sensing-assisted beam tracking applications with substantial performance gains and complexity reduction.

Extended Target Sensing in MIMO-OFDM ISAC Systems: Modeling, Optimization and Estimation

This paper develops a comprehensive target modeling, beamforming optimization, and parameter estimation framework for extended-target sensing in wideband MIMO-OFDM integrated sensing and communication systems. We propose a parametric scattering model (PSM) that decouples target geometry from electromagnetic scattering characteristics, requiring only six nonlinear geometric parameters and linear radar cross-section (RCS) coefficients. Based on this compact structure, we derive a hybrid Bayesian Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) for joint estimation of azimuth, elevation, and range-related parameters. To handle inherent range ambiguities due to OFDM signaling, we analyze the range ambiguity function and introduce range sidelobe suppression constraints around the true range. Based on these constraints, we formulate an ambiguity-aware transmit beamforming design that minimizes a weighted geometric CRB subject to per-user signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) requirements and a total power budget. As benchmarks, we extend two other common models to the same wideband MIMO-OFDM scenario. We also derive maximum a posteriori estimators and a computational complexity analysis for all three models. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed PSM-based approach achieves improved target localization with significantly reduced runtime for beamforming optimization and parameter estimation, while consistently satisfying communication SINR requirements.

Robust Wildfire Forecasting under Partial Observability: From Reconstruction to Prediction

Satellite-derived fire observations are the primary input for learning-based wildfire spread prediction, yet they are inherently incomplete due to cloud cover, smoke obscuration, and sensor artifacts. This partial observability introduces a domain gap between the clean data used to train forecasting models and the degraded inputs encountered during deployment, often leading to unreliable predictions. To address this challenge, we formulate wildfire forecasting under partial observability using a two-stage probabilistic framework that decouples observation recovery from spatiotemporal prediction. Stage-I reconstructs plausible fire maps from corrupted observations via conditional inpainting, while Stage-II models wildfire dynamics on the recovered sequences using a spatiotemporal forecasting network. We consider four network architectures for the reconstruction module-a Residual U-Net (MaskUNet), a Conditional VAE (MaskCVAE), a cross-attention Vision Transformer (MaskViT), and a discrete diffusion model (MaskD3PM)-spanning CNN-based, latent-variable, attention-based, and diffusion-based approaches. We evaluate the performance of the two-stage approach on the WildfireSpreadTS (WSTS) dataset under various settings, including pixel-wise and block-wise masking, eight corruption levels (10%-80%), four fire scenarios, and leave-one-year-out cross-validation. Results show that all learning-based recovery models substantially outperform non-learning baselines, with MaskCVAE and MaskUNet achieving the strongest overall performance. Importantly, inserting the reconstruction stage before forecasting significantly mitigates the domain gap, restoring next-day prediction accuracy to near-clean-input levels even under severe information loss.

Clutter-Aware Integrated Sensing and Communication: Models, Methods, and Future Directions

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) can substantially improve spectral, hardware, and energy efficiency by unifying radar sensing and data communications. In wideband and scattering-rich environments, clutter often dominates weak target reflections and becomes a fundamental bottleneck for reliable sensing. Practical ISAC clutter includes "cold" clutter arising from environmental backscatter of the probing waveform, and "hot" clutter induced by external interference and reflections from the environment whose statistics can vary rapidly over time. In this article, we develop a unified wideband multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) signal model that captures both clutter types across the space, time, and frequency domains. Building on this model, we review clutter characterization at multiple levels, including amplitude statistics, robust spherically invariant random vector (SIRV) modeling, and structured covariance representations suitable for limited-snapshot regimes. We then summarize receiver-side suppression methods in the temporal and spatial domains, together with extensions to space-time adaptive processing (STAP) and space-frequency-time adaptive processing (SFTAP), and we provide guidance on selecting techniques under different waveform and interference conditions. To move beyond reactive suppression, we discuss clutter-aware transceiver co-design that couples beamforming and waveform optimization with practical communication quality-of-service (QoS) constraints to enable proactive clutter avoidance. We conclude with open challenges and research directions toward environment-adaptive and clutter-resilient ISAC for next-generation networks.

ASSENT: Learning-Based Association Optimization for Distributed Cell-Free ISAC

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a key emerging 6G technology. Despite progress, ISAC still lacks scalable methods for joint AP clustering and user/target scheduling in distributed deployments under fronthaul limits. Moreover, existing ISAC solutions largely rely on centralized processing and full channel state information, limiting scalability. This paper addresses joint access point (AP) clustering, user and target scheduling, and AP mode selection in distributed cell-free ISAC systems operating with constrained fronthaul capacity. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) that jointly captures interference coupling, RF-chain limits, and sensing requirements, providing optimal but computationally demanding solutions. To enable real-time and scalable operation, we propose ASSENT (ASSociation and ENTity selection), a graph neural network (GNN) framework trained on MILP solutions to efficiently learn association and mode-selection policies directly from lightweight link statistics. Simulations show that ASSENT achieves near-optimal utility while accurately learning the underlying associations. Additionally, its single forward pass inference reduces decision latency compared to optimization-based methods. An open-source Python/PyTorch implementation with full datasets is provided to facilitate reproducible and extensible research in cell-free ISAC.

Optimal Interference Exploitation Waveform Design with Relaxed Block-Level Power Constraints

This paper investigates constructive interference (CI)-based waveform design for phase shift keying and quadrature amplitude modulation symbols under relaxed block-level power constraints in multi-user multiple-input single-output (MU-MIMO) communication systems. Existing linear CI-based precoding methods, including symbol-level precoding (SLP) and block-level precoding (BLP), suffer from performance limitations due to strict symbol-level power budgets or insufficient degrees of freedom over the block. To overcome these challenges, we propose a nonlinear waveform optimization framework that introduces additional optimization variables and maximizes the minimum CI metric across the transmission block. The optimal waveform is derived in closed form using the function and Karush Kuhn Tucker conditions, and the solution is explicitly expressed with respect to the dual variables. Moreover, the original problems are equivalently reformulated as tractable quadratic programming (QP) problems. To efficiently solve the derived QP problems, we develop an improved alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm by integrating a linear-time projection technique, which significantly enhances the computational efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms substantially outperform the conventional CI-SLP and CI-BLP approaches, particularly under high-order modulations and large block lengths.

Semi-Blind Channel Estimation for Downlink Communications Based on Dynamic Metasurface Antennas

Dynamic metasurface antennas (DMAs) are emerging as a promising technology to enable energy-efficient, large array-based multi-antenna systems. This paper presents a simple channel estimation scheme for the downlink of a multiple-input single-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MISO-OFDM) communication system exploiting DMAs. The proposed scheme extracts separate estimates of the wireless channel and the unknown waveguide propagation vector using a simple iterative algorithm based on the parallel factor (PARAFAC) decomposition. Obtaining decoupled estimates of the wireless channel and inner waveguide vector enables the isolation and compensation for its effect when designing the DMA beamformer, regardless of the wireless channel state, which evolves much faster due to its shorter coherence time and bandwidth. Additionally, our solution operates in a data-aided manner, delivering estimates of useful data symbols jointly with channel estimates, without requiring sequential pilot and data stages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to explore this CE approach. Numerical results corroborate the notable performance of the proposed scheme.