Co-Designing Statistical MIMO Radar and In-band Full-Duplex Multi-User MIMO Communications -- Part III: Multi-Target Tracking

As a next-generation wireless technology, the in-band full-duplex (IBFD) transmission enables simultaneous transmission and reception of signals over the same frequency, thereby doubling spectral efficiency. Further, a continuous up-scaling of wireless network carrier frequencies arising from ever-increasing data traffic is driving research on integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems. In this context, we study the co-design of common waveforms, precoders, and filters for an IBFD multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications with a distributed MIMO radar. This paper, along with companion papers (Part I and II), proposes a comprehensive MRMC framework that addresses all these challenges. In the companion papers, we developed signal processing and joint design algorithms for this distributed system. In this paper, we tackle multi-target detection, localization, and tracking. This co-design problem that includes practical MU-MIMO constraints on power and quality-of-service is highly non-convex. We propose a low-complexity procedure based on Barzilai-Borwein gradient algorithm to obtain the design parameters and mixed-integer linear program for distributed target localization. Numerical experiments demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of multi-target sensing of the distributed FD ISAC system. Finally, we localize and track multiple targets by adapting the joint probabilistic data association and extended Kalman filter for this system.

Co-Designing Statistical MIMO Radar and In-band Full-Duplex Multi-User MIMO Communications -- Part II: Joint Precoder, Radar Code, and Receive Filters Design

We address the challenge of spectral sharing between a statistical multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar and an in-band full-duplex (IBFD) multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) communications system operating simultaneously in the same frequency band. Existing research on joint MIMO-radar-MIMO-communications (MRMC) systems has limitations, such as focusing on colocated MIMO radars, half-duplex MIMO communications, single-user scenarios, neglecting practical constraints, or employing separate transmit/receive units for MRMC coexistence. This paper, along with companion papers (Part I and III), proposes a comprehensive MRMC framework that addresses all these challenges. In the previous companion paper (Part I), we presented signal processing techniques for a distributed IBFD MRMC system. In this paper, we introduce joint design of statistical MIMO radar codes, uplink/downlink precoders, and corresponding receive filters using a novel metric called compounded-and-weighted sum mutual information. To solve the resulting highly non-convex problem, we employ a combination of block coordinate descent (BCD) and alternating projection methods. Numerical experiments show convergence of our algorithm, mitigation of uplink interference, and stable data rates under varying noise levels, channel estimate imperfections, and self-interference. The subsequent companion paper (Part III) extends the discussion to multiple targets and evaluates the tracking performance of our MRMC system.

Beyond Diagonal RIS: Key to Next-Generation Integrated Sensing and Communications?

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) have introduced unprecedented flexibility and adaptability toward smart wireless channels. Recent research on integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems has demonstrated that RIS platforms enable enhanced signal quality, coverage, and link capacity. In this paper, we explore the application of fully-connected beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS) to ISAC systems. BD-RIS introduces additional degrees of freedom by allowing non-zero off-diagonal elements for the scattering matrix, potentially enabling further functionalities and performance enhancements. In particular, we consider the joint design objective of maximizing the weighted sum of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the radar receiver and communication users by leveraging the extra degrees-of-freedom offered in the BD-RIS setting. These degrees-of-freedom are unleashed by formulating an alternating optimization process over known and auxiliary (latent) variables of such systems. Our numerical results reveal the advantages of deploying BD-RIS in the context of ISAC and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm by improving the SNR values for both radar and communication users by several orders of magnitude.

Spherical Wavefront Near-Field DoA Estimation in THz Automotive Radar

Automotive radar at terahertz (THz) band has the potential to provide compact design. The availability of wide bandwidth at THz-band leads to high range resolution. Further, very narrow beamwidth arising from large arrays yields high angular resolution up to milli-degree level direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation. At THz frequencies and extremely large arrays, the signal wavefront is spherical in the near-field that renders traditional far-field DoA estimation techniques unusable. In this work, we examine near-field DoA estimation for THz automotive radar. We propose an algorithm using multiple signal classification (MUSIC) to estimate target DoAs and ranges while also taking beam-squint in near-field into account. Using an array transformation approach, we compensate for near-field beam-squint in noise subspace computations to construct the beam-squint-free MUSIC spectra. Numerical experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed method to accurately estimate the target parameters.

Submodular Optimization for Placement of Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces in Sensing Systems

Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS) and their optimal deployment are the new technological frontier in sensing applications. Recently, IRS have demonstrated potential in advancing target estimation and detection. While the optimal phase-shift of IRS for different tasks has been studied extensively in the literature, the optimal placement of multiple IRS platforms for sensing applications is less explored. In this paper, we design the placement of IRS platforms for sensing by maximizing the mutual information. In particular, we use this criterion to determine an approximately optimal placement of IRS platforms to illuminate an area where the target has a hypothetical presence. After demonstrating the submodularity of the mutual information criteria, we tackle the design problem by means of a constant-factor approximation algorithm for submodular optimization. Numerical results are presented to validate the proposed submodular optimization framework for optimal IRS placement with worst case performance bounded to $1-1/e\approx 63 \%$.

Factor Graph Processing for Dual-Blind Deconvolution at ISAC Receiver

Integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems have gained significant interest because of their ability to jointly and efficiently access, utilize, and manage the scarce electromagnetic spectrum. The co-existence approach toward ISAC focuses on the receiver processing of overlaid radar and communications signals coming from independent transmitters. A specific ISAC coexistence problem is dual-blind deconvolution (DBD), wherein the transmit signals and channels of both radar and communications are unknown to the receiver. Prior DBD works ignore the evolution of the signal model over time. In this work, we consider a dynamic DBD scenario using a linear state space model (LSSM) such that, apart from the transmit signals and channels of both systems, the LSSM parameters are also unknown. We employ a factor graph representation to model these unknown variables. We avoid the conventional matrix inversion approach to estimate the unknown variables by using an efficient expectation-maximization algorithm, where each iteration employs a Gaussian message passing over the factor graph structure. Numerical experiments demonstrate the accurate estimation of radar and communications channels, including in the presence of noise.

An Invitation to Hypercomplex Phase Retrieval: Theory and Applications

Hypercomplex signal processing (HSP) provides state-of-the-art tools to handle multidimensional signals by harnessing intrinsic correlation of the signal dimensions through Clifford algebra. Recently, the hypercomplex representation of the phase retrieval (PR) problem, wherein a complex-valued signal is estimated through its intensity-only projections, has attracted significant interest. The hypercomplex PR (HPR) arises in many optical imaging and computational sensing applications that usually comprise quaternion and octonion-valued signals. Analogous to the traditional PR, measurements in HPR may involve complex, hypercomplex, Fourier, and other sensing matrices. This set of problems opens opportunities for developing novel HSP tools and algorithms. This article provides a synopsis of the emerging areas and applications of HPR with a focus on optical imaging.

Information Geometry for the Working Information Theorist

Information geometry is a study of statistical manifolds, that is, spaces of probability distributions from a geometric perspective. Its classical information-theoretic applications relate to statistical concepts such as Fisher information, sufficient statistics, and efficient estimators. Today, information geometry has emerged as an interdisciplinary field that finds applications in diverse areas such as radar sensing, array signal processing, quantum physics, deep learning, and optimal transport. This article presents an overview of essential information geometry to initiate an information theorist, who may be unfamiliar with this exciting area of research. We explain the concepts of divergences on statistical manifolds, generalized notions of distances, orthogonality, and geodesics, thereby paving the way for concrete applications and novel theoretical investigations. We also highlight some recent information-geometric developments, which are of interest to the broader information theory community.

Index-Modulated Metasurface Transceiver Design using Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for 6G Wireless Networks

Higher spectral and energy efficiencies are the envisioned defining characteristics of high data-rate sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks. One of the enabling technologies to meet these requirements is index modulation (IM), which transmits information through permutations of indices of spatial, frequency, or temporal media. In this paper, we propose novel electromagnetics-compliant designs of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) apertures for realizing IM in 6G transceivers. We consider RIS modeling and implementation of spatial and subcarrier IMs, including beam steering, spatial multiplexing, and phase modulation capabilities. Numerical experiments for our proposed implementations show that the bit error rates obtained via RIS-aided IM outperform traditional implementations. We further establish the programmability of these transceivers to vary the reflection phase and generate frequency harmonics for IM through full-wave electromagnetic analyses of a specific reflect-array metasurface implementation.

Space-Time Adaptive Processing in Connected and Automated Vehicular Radar Platoons

In this study, we develop a holistic framework for space-time adaptive processing (STAP) in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) radar systems. We investigate a CAV system consisting of multiple vehicles that transmit frequency-modulated continuous-waveforms (FMCW), thereby functioning as a multistatic radar. Direct application of STAP in a network of radar systems such as in a CAV may lead to excess interference. We exploit time division multiplexing (TDM) to perform transmitter scheduling over FMCW pulses to achieve high detection performance. The TDM design problem is formulated as a quadratic assignment problem which is tackled by power method-like iterations and applying the Hungarian algorithm for linear assignment in each iteration. Numerical experiments confirm that the optimized TDM is successful in enhancing the target detection performance.