Data-Aided Target Localization in Multistatic ISAC Systems With Communication Constraints

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) enables future wireless networks to perform sensing and communication (S&C) over a shared waveform. In multistatic ISAC systems, however, the sensing receivers do not know the realizations of transmitted data symbols, making it challenging to exploit communication signals for sensing. In this paper, we propose a data-aided framework for target localization with two receiver strategies, namely statistical data-aided sensing and joint data-aided sensing and decoding, where the former marginalizes the random unknown data symbols and the latter reuses the reliably decoded data symbols as known virtual pilots. Under orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signaling, we derive the performance limits for target localization in both strategies and adopt the achievable ergodic data rate as the communication metric. Then, we formulate a joint time-allocation and transmit data-covariance design problem for target localization under communication constraints, which characterizes the joint S&C bound and quantifies the sensing gain provided by data symbols. In addition, we develop two target localization algorithms that implement the proposed data-aided receiver processing, and extend the framework to finite-alphabet signaling. Simulation results validate theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed data-aided schemes.

Sensing-Constrained Diversity-Multiplexing Tradeoff in MIMO ISAC: A Geometric Approach

Diversity and multiplexing are the two fundamental gains of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communications, enabling systems to simultaneously achieve increased reliability and higher data rates. The intricate interplay between these two metrics is captured by the celebrated diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT). With the rapid evolution of wireless technologies, low-latency integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has emerged as a key enabler for 6G applications, including extended reality (XR) and massive digital twins. Consequently, understanding the DMT within MIMO ISAC systems becomes critical. In this paper, we investigate the communication DMT in a mono-static MIMO ISAC system under Rayleigh fading, specifically when the transmitter is constrained to emit sensing-optimal waveforms. By unveiling the geometric properties of generalized Stiefel manifolds and employing large-deviation analysis, we characterize the asymptotic outage probability of this typical ISAC channel. This formulation yields an elegant converse bound on the sensing-constrained DMT. Ultimately, our work provides an answer to a pivotal unanswered question in ISAC system design: How much MIMO gain is fundamentally sacrificed in communication to integrate optimal sensing capabilities?