Terahertz Beam Squint Mitigation via Six-Dimensional Movable Antennas

Analog beamforming holds great potential for future terahertz (THz) communications due to its ability to generate high-gain directional beams with low-cost phase shifters. However, conventional analog beamforming may suffer substantial performance degradation in wideband systems due to the beam squint effect. Instead of relying on high-cost true-time delayers, we propose an efficient six-dimensional movable antenna (6DMA) architecture to mitigate the beam-squint effect. In particular, we study a wideband wide-beam coverage problem in this paper, aiming to maximize the minimum beamforming gain over a given range of azimuth/elevation angles and frequencies by jointly optimizing the analog beamforming vector, the MA positions within a two-dimensional (2D) region, and the three-dimensional (3D) rotation angles of the antenna array. However, this problem is non-convex and intractable to solve optimally due to the coupling of the spatial and frequency domains and that of the antenna weights, positions and rotation. To tackle this problem, we first derive an optimal solution to it in a special case with azimuth or elevation angle coverage only. It is shown that rotating a uniform linear array (ULA) is sufficient to achieve global optimality and eliminate beam-squint effects. While for other general cases, an alternating optimization (AO) algorithm is proposed to obtain a high-quality suboptimal solution, where the antennas' beamforming weights, positions, and rotation angles are alternately optimized by combining successive convex approximation (SCA), sequential update with Gibbs sampling (GS), and hybrid coarse- and fine-grained search. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme can significantly outperform conventional antenna arrays without antenna movement or rotation, thus offering a cost-effective solution for wideband transmission over THz bands.

Indirect and Direct Multiuser Hybrid Beamforming for Far-Field and Near-Field Communications: A Deep Learning Approach

Hybrid beamforming for extremely large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (XL-MIMO) systems is challenging in the near field because the channel depends jointly on angle and distance, and the multiuser interference (MUI) is strong. Existing deep learning methods typically follow either a decoupled design that optimizes analog beamforming without explicitly accounting for MUI, or an end-to-end (E2E) joint analog-digital optimization that can be unstable under nonconvex constant-modulus (CM), pronounced analog-digital coupling, and gradient pattern of sum-rate loss. To address both issues, we develop a complex-valued E2E framework based on a variant minimum mean square error (variant-MMSE) criterion, where the digital precoder is eliminated in closed form via Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions so that analog learning is trained with a stable objective. The network employs a grouped complex-convolution sensing front-end for uplink (UL) measurements, a shared complex multi-layer perceptron (MLP) for per-user feature extraction, and a merged constant-modulus head to output the analog precoder. In the indirect mode, the network designs hybrid beamformers from estimated channel state information (CSI). In the direct mode where explicit CSI is unavailable, the network learns the sensing operator and the analog mapping from short pilots, after which additional pilots estimate the equivalent channel and enable a KKT closed-form digital precoder. Simulations show that the indirect mode approaches the performance of iterative variant-MMSE optimization with a complexity reduction proportional to the antenna number. In the direct mode, the proposed method improves spectral efficiency over sparse-recovery pipelines and recent deep learning baselines under the same pilot budget.

Integrated Channel Estimation and Sensing for Near-Field ELAA Systems

In this paper, we study the problem of uplink channel estimation for near-filed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, where a base station (BS), equipped with an extremely large-scale antenna array (ELAA), serves multiple users over the same time-frequency resource block. A non-orthogonal pilot transmission scheme is considered to accommodate a larger number of users that can be supported by ELAA systems without incurring an excessive amount of training overhead. To facilitate efficient multi-user channel estimation, we express the received signal as a third-order low-rank tensor, which admits a canonical polyadic decomposition (CPD) model for line-of-sight (LoS) scenarios and a block term decomposition (BTD) model for non-line-of-sight (NLoS) scenarios. An alternating least squares (ALS) algorithm and a non-linear least squares (NLS) algorithm are employed to perform CPD and BTD, respectively. Channel parameters are then efficiently extracted from the recovered factor matrices. By exploiting the geometry of the propagation paths in the estimated channel, users' positions can be precisely determined in LoS scenarios. Moreover, our uniqueness analysis shows that the proposed tensor-based joint multi-user channel estimation framework is effective even when the number of pilot symbols is much smaller than the number of users, revealing its potential in training overhead reduction. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves markedly higher channel estimation accuracy than compressed sensing (CS)-based approaches.

Movable Antenna-Enhanced Near-Field Flexible Beamforming: Performance Analysis and Optimization

As an emerging wireless communication technology, movable antennas (MAs) offer the ability to adjust the spatial correlation of steering vectors, enabling more flexible beamforming compared to fixed-position antennas (FPAs). In this paper, we investigate the use of MAs for two typical near-field beamforming scenarios: beam nulling and multi-beam forming. In the first scenario, we aim to jointly optimize the positions of multiple MAs and the beamforming vector to maximize the beam gain toward a desired direction while nulling interference toward multiple undesired directions. In the second scenario, the objective is to maximize the minimum beam gain among all the above directions. However, both problems are non-convex and challenging to solve optimally. To gain insights, we first analyze several special cases and show that, with proper positioning of the MAs, directing the beam toward a specific direction can lead to nulls or full gains in other directions in the two scenarios, respectively. For the general cases, we propose a discrete sampling method and an alternating optimization algorithm to obtain high-quality suboptimal solutions to the two formulated problems. Furthermore, considering the practical limitations in antenna positioning accuracy, we analyze the impact of position errors on the performance of the optimized beamforming and MA positions, by introducing a Taylor series approximation for the near-field beam gain at each target. Numerical results validate our theoretical findings and demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithms.

Movable Antenna Enhanced Multi-Region Beam Coverage: A Multi-Notch-Filter-Inspired Design

Movable antenna (MA) has emerged as a promising technology to enhance wireless communication performance by exploiting the new degree of freedom (DoF) via antenna position optimization. In this letter, we investigate the MA-enhanced wide beam coverage over multiple subregions in the spatial domain. Specifically, we aim to maximize the minimum beam gain over the desired subregions by jointly optimizing the transmit beamforming and antenna position vector (APV). Although this problem is non-convex, we propose an efficient algorithm to solve it by leveraging the similarity between the considered multi-region coverage and classical multi-notch filter (MNF) design. In particular, we construct a spatial MNF-based transmit beamforming vector by assuming a continuous amplitude and phase-shift profile within the antenna movement region. Based on this continuous profile, we propose a sequential update algorithm to select an optimal subset of MA positions for multi-region coverage, jointly with a Gibbs sampling (GS) procedure to avoid undesired local optimum. Numerical results show that our proposed algorithm can significantly outperform conventional fixed position antennas (FPAs) and achieve a comparable performance to the alternating optimization (AO) algorithm with dramatically lower complexity.

Rotatable Antenna Array-Enhanced Null Steering: Performance Analysis and Optimization

Conventional fixed-orientation antenna (FOA) arrays offer limited degrees of freedom (DoF) for flexible beamforming such as null steering. To address this limitation, we propose a new rotatable antenna array (RAA) architecture in this paper, which enables three-dimensional (3D) rotational control of an antenna array to provide enhanced spatial flexibility for null steering. To characterize its performance, we aim to jointly optimize the 3D rotational angles of the RAA, to maximize the beam gain over a given desired direction, while nulling those over multiple interference directions under zero-forcing (ZF) beamforming. However, this problem is non-convex and challenging to tackle due to the highly nonlinear expression of the beam gain in terms of the rotational angles. To gain insights, we first examine several special cases including both isotropic and directional antenna radiation patterns, deriving the conditions under which full beam gain can be achieved over the desired direction while meeting the nulling constraints for interference directions. These conditions clearly indicate that compared with FOA arrays, RAAs can significantly relax the angular separation requirement for achieving effective null steering. For other general cases, we propose a sequential update algorithm, that iteratively refines the 3D rotational angles by discretizing the 3D angular search space. To avoid undesired local optimum, a Gibbs sampling (GS) procedure is also employed between two consecutive rounds of sequential update for solution exploration. Simulation results verify our analytical results and show superior null-steering performance of RAAs to FOA arrays.

Performance Optimization for Movable Antenna Enhanced MISO-OFDM Systems

Movable antenna (MA) technology offers a flexible approach to enhancing wireless channel conditions by adjusting antenna positions within a designated region. While most existing works focus on narrowband MA systems, this paper investigates MA position optimization for an MA-enhanced multiple-input single-output (MISO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system. This problem appears to be particularly challenging due to the frequency-flat nature of MA positioning, which should accommodate the channel conditions across different subcarriers. To overcome this challenge, we discretize the movement region into a multitude of sampling points, thereby converting the continuous position optimization problem into a discrete point selection problem. Although this problem is combinatorial, we develop an efficient partial enumeration algorithm to find the optimal solution using a branch-and-bound framework, where a graph-theoretic method is incorporated to effectively prune suboptimal solutions. In the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, a simplified graph-based algorithm is also proposed to obtain the optimal MA positions without the need for enumeration. Simulation results reveal that the proposed algorithm outperforms conventional fixed-position antennas (FPAs), while narrowband-based antenna position optimization can achieve near-optimal performance.

Radiation Pattern Reconfigurable FAS-Empowered Interference-Resilient UAV Communication

The widespread use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has propelled the development of advanced techniques on countering unauthorized UAV flights. However, the resistance of legal UAVs to illegal interference remains under-addressed. This paper proposes radiation pattern reconfigurable fluid antenna systems (RPR-FAS)-empowered interference-resilient UAV communication scheme. This scheme integrates the reconfigurable pixel antenna technology, which provides each antenna with an adjustable radiation pattern. Therefore, RPR-FAS can enhance the angular resolution of a UAV with a limited number of antennas, thereby improving spectral efficiency (SE) and interference resilience. Specifically, we first design dedicated radiation pattern adapted from 3GPP-TR-38.901, where the beam direction and half power beamwidth are tailored for UAV communications. Furthermore, we propose a low-storage-overhead orthogonal matching pursuit multiple measurement vectors algorithm, which accurately estimates the angle-of-arrival (AoA) of the communication link, even in the single antenna case. Particularly, by utilizing the Fourier transform to the radiation pattern gain matrix, we design a dimension-reduction technique to achieve 1--2 order-of-magnitude reduction in storage requirements. Meanwhile, we propose a maximum likelihood interference AoA estimation method based on the law of large numbers, so that the SE can be further improved. Finally, alternating optimization is employed to obtain the optimal uplink radiation pattern and combiner, while an exhaustive search is applied to determine the optimal downlink pattern, complemented by the water-filling algorithm for beamforming. Comprehensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed schemes outperform traditional methods in terms of angular sensing precision and spectral efficiency.

Integrating Movable Antennas and Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (MA-IRS): Fundamentals, Practical Solutions, and Opportunities

Movable antennas (MAs) and intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) enable active antenna repositioning and passive phase-shift tuning for channel reconfiguration, respectively. Integrating MAs and IRSs boosts spatial degrees of freedom, significantly enhancing wireless network capacity, coverage, and reliability. In this article, we first present the fundamentals of MA-IRS integration, involving clarifying the key design issues, revealing performance gain, and identifying the conditions where MA-IRS synergy persists. Then, we examine practical challenges and propose pragmatic design solutions, including optimization schemes, hardware architectures, deployment strategies, and robust designs for hardware impairments and mobility management. In addition, we highlight how MA-IRS architectures uniquely support advanced integrated sensing and communication, enhancing sensing performance and dual-functional flexibility. Overall, MA-IRS integration emerges as a compelling approach toward next-generation reconfigurable wireless systems.

Spectral Efficiency Maximization for DMA-enabled Multiuser MISO with Statistical CSI

Dynamic metasurface antennas (DMAs) offer the potential to achieve large-scale antenna arrays with low power consumption and reduced hardware costs, making them a promising technology for future communication systems. This paper investigates the spectral efficiency (SE) of DMA-enabled multiuser multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems in both uplink and downlink transmissions, using only statistical channel state information (CSI) to maximize the ergodic sum rate of multiple users. For the uplink system, we consider two decoding rules: minimum mean square error (MMSE) with and without successive interference cancellation (SIC). For both decoders, we derive closed-form surrogates to substitute the original expressions of ergodic sum rate and formulate tractable optimization problems for designing DMA weights. Then, a weighted MMSE (WMMSE)-based algorithm is proposed to maximize the ergodic sum rate. For the downlink system, we derive an approximate expression for the ergodic sum rate and formulate a hybrid analog/digital beamforming optimization problem that jointly optimizes the digital precoder and DMA weights. A penalty dual decomposition (PDD)-based algorithm is proposed by leveraging the fractional programming framework. Numerical results validate the accuracy of the derived surrogates and highlight the superiority of the proposed algorithms over baseline schemes. It is shown that these algorithms are effective across various DMA settings and are particularly well-suited for system design in fast time-varying channels.