CIF: Small: Advancing State of the Art of Coding/Modulation for Wireless Networks

无线网络是未来军事和民用信息技术应用的重要组成部分，从战场上部署的特设和传感器网络到具有非常强大基础设施的蜂窝网络。为了设计、实现和部署高可靠的无线网络，解决系统中其他用户的干扰是至关重要的。在现有的设计中，要么通过精心选择的网络协议（例如，通过时分、空分、频分）来避免干扰，要么将其控制在可接受的水平附近（例如，通过码分）。在简化实现的同时，这两种常用的方法都远远不是最佳的，为了未来可靠和高效的无线网络，需要从不同的角度来处理干扰问题。本研究旨在为多用户通信信道开发明确实用的编码/调制解决方案，并通过端到端网络仿真研究评估增强物理层设计可能带来的收益。特别是，从无线干扰信道和双向中继信道的编码/调制方案设计到有限输入有限输出多用户链路的实际信令等一系列问题都得到了解决。针对近容量（或容量边界）操作的长块长度编码/调制解决方案以及针对延迟敏感应用的短块长度设计进行了探索。通过这些研究活动，该项目直接有助于设计和开发可靠的无线网络，有效地管理干扰，并从根本上解决一般多用户通信领域的问题。该项目还整合了研究和教育，为本科生提供了许多参与这些活动的机会。

Wireless networking constitutes an important component of future information technology applications for both military and civilian purposes ranging from ad-hoc and sensor networks deployed in a battle-field to cellular networks with a very strong infrastructure. In order to design, implement and deploy highly reliable wireless networks, it is of utmost importance to address the presence of interference from other users in the system. In existing designs, interference is either avoided by a carefully chosen networking protocol (e.g. through time-division, space-division, frequency-division), or it is controlled to be near an acceptable level (e.g. through code-division). While simplifying the implementation, both of these commonly taken approaches are far from being optimal, and for reliable and efficient wireless networks of the future, a different look at the problem of handling the interference is needed.This research aims to develop explicit and practical coding/modulation solutions for multi-user communication channels, and to assess the possible gains with the enhanced physical-layer designs through end-to-end network simulation studies. In particular, a number of problems ranging from design of coding/modulation schemes for wireless interference channels, and two-way relay channels, to practical signaling for finite-input finite-output multi-user links are addressed. Both long block length coding/modulation solutions aiming at near capacity (or capacity bound) operation as well as short block length designs for delay sensitive applications are explored. Through these research activities, the project directly contributes to design and development of reliable wireless networks managing interference in an efficient manner, and to the field of general multi-user communications in a fundamental way. The project also integrates research and education generating many opportunities for undergraduate students to be involved in these activities.