NeTS-WN: Collaborative Research: Cooperative Wireless Networking: Foundations and Practice

无线自组织网络已经成为在没有网络基础设施的情况下实现节点通信的关键技术。然而，当前的技术在容量、连接性和延迟方面不能提供令人满意的性能。近年来，为了提高网络性能，提出了几种合作方案。它们明显地背离了传统的点对点链路抽象和传统的网络架构，将对网络性能和设计产生深远的影响。本研究的目标是为在无线自组织网络中应用新兴的合作方案开发基础和实用算法。这些方案包括(i)协作通信，其中多个节点有意在物理层并发传输，例如，协作分集、分布式多输入多输出（MIMO）和分布式波束成形；（ii）网络编码，其中节点合并从邻居接收的数据，然后将这些组合发送给它们的邻居，以减少传输数量并提高吞吐量；（iii）协作基础设施，其中基础设施(例如，有线基站)覆盖在无线自组织网络上。这项研究将为合作网络开发基本的性能界限，以及提供网络级服务的新算法和机制。该项目的更广泛影响包括通过期刊和会议出版物传播研究成果，以及通过研究生的积极参与促进教学、培训和学习的强大教育组成部分。将为两所大学联合教授的一门新课程编写和散发教育材料。

Wireless ad hoc networking has become a critical technology enabling node communications without network infrastructure. However, current technologies do not provide satisfactory performance in terms of capacity, connectivity, and delay. Recently, several cooperation schemes have been proposed to improve the network performance. They significantly depart from the traditional point-to-point link abstraction and conventional network architectures and will have a profound impact on the network performance and design.The goal of this research is to develop the foundations and practical algorithms for applying emerging cooperation schemes in wireless ad hoc networks. These schemes include (i) cooperative communications where multiple nodes intentionally transmit concurrently at the physical layer, for example, cooperative diversity, distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and distributed beamforming, (ii) network coding where nodes combine data received from neighbors and then transmit these combinations to their neighbors to reduce the number of transmissions and improve throughput, (iii) cooperative infrastructure where infrastructure (e.g., wired base stations) is overlaid over wireless ad hoc networks. This research will develop fundamental performance bounds for cooperative networks, as well as new algorithms and mechanisms for providing network-level services.The broader impacts of this project include the dissemination of research results through journal and conference publications, and a strong education component that promotes teaching, training, and learning through the active involvement of research students. Education materials will be developed and disseminated for a new course to be taught jointly at the two universities.