Collaborative Research: CNS Core: Medium: Exploiting New Degrees-of-Freedom in Wireless Networks with Reprogrammable Intelligent Metagratings

无线数据流量的爆炸性增长引发了无线系统中新的用户需求和应用，促使人们探索创新的通信模式。与此同时，超表面的发展显示了以极端方式控制电磁波的可能性，这为无线网络带来了潜在的颠覆性机会。本项目探讨可重编程智能元评级(RIMS)对下一代无线系统的影响。与在无线网络中使用RIM有关的几个基本问题将被讨论，例如RIM集成、干扰管理、资源分配和多址接入。这项研究工作将增强MetasSurface技术和无线通信/网络系统，为RIM增强的无线系统打开新的视角和解决方案概念。拟议的跨层方法将填补通信和网络研究以及物理层的现有空白。由此产生的计划将本质上是跨学科的和变革性的，结合了决策理论、优化、信息理论、通信、网络、控制理论、电磁和信号处理的概念。项目团队将在知名期刊上发表研究成果，数据和代码等资源将公开提供，以促进技术传播。拟议中的研究还将显著提高我们本科生和研究生课程的质量，不仅通过影响课程开发，还通过让学生参与高度跨学科的研究，形成具有独特专业知识的新一代学者。拟议的外展活动将鼓励高中生，特别是女性和少数族裔学生从事科学和工程事业。需要在通信理论、网络、协议和硬件研究方面取得重大进展，以便有效协调和最大限度地利用RIM进行无线通信。拟议的研究将以颠覆性的方式推进一个高度跨学科的新兴研究领域：i)将开发新的理论、设计和实验演示，以最佳地增强无线通信，成为网络设计、协议和算法进步的基础。Ii)该项目将探索打破RIMS中全双工网络互惠和提高频谱效率所带来的机会。Iii)除了改善预期目的地的信号外，RIMS还将在缓解干扰方面取得破坏性进展。将启用RIM辅助通信网络中的资源管理和干扰管理，包括用于多径缓解的接收前的空间均衡、RIM辅助的设备间通信和RIM辅助的脏纸编码。Iv)实现的RIMS将提高定位精度并增强更高网络层中的现有协议，实现RIM辅助的MAC访问，避免冲突和物理层安全。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The explosive growth of wireless data traffic has triggered new user requirements and applications in wireless systems, motivating the exploration of innovative communication paradigms. In a parallel effort, the development of metasurfaces has shown the possibility of controlling electromagnetic waves in extreme ways, with potentially disruptive opportunities for wireless networking. This project explores the impact of reprogrammable intelligent metagratings (RIMs) on next-generation wireless systems. Several fundamental issues related to the use of RIMs in wireless networks will be addressed, such as RIM integration, interference management, resource allocation and multiple access. This research effort will enhance metasurface technology and wireless communication/networking systems, opening new perspectives and solution concepts for RIM-enhanced wireless systems. The proposed cross-layer approach will fill existing gaps both in communications and networks research, as well as in the physical layer. The resulting program will be inherently interdisciplinary and transformative, combining concepts in decision theory, optimization, information theory, communications, networking, control theory, electromagnetic and signal processing. The project team will publish research in high-profile journals, and resources such as data and codes will be publicly available to facilitate technology dissemination. The proposed research will also significantly boost the quality of our undergraduate and graduate programs, not only by impacting curriculum development but also by engaging students in highly interdisciplinary research, forming a new generation of scholars with unique expertise. The proposed outreach activities will encourage high-school students, especially female and minority students, to pursue science and engineering careers.Significant advances in communication theory, networks, protocol and hardware research will be needed to allow effective coordination and maximum utilization of RIMs for wireless communications. The proposed research will advance in disruptive ways a highly interdisciplinary emerging research area: i) New theories, designs and experimental demonstrations will be developed to optimally enhance wireless communications, becoming the foundation for advances in network designs, protocols and algorithms. ii) The project will explore the opportunities enabled by breaking reciprocity in RIMs for full-duplex networks and enhanced spectral efficiency. iii) In addition to signal improvement at the desired destination, RIMs will also enable disruptive progress in mitigating interference. Resource management and interference management in RIM-assisted communication networks will be enabled, including spatial equalization before reception for multipath mitigation, RIM-assisted Device-to-Device communications and RIM-aided dirty paper coding. iv) The realized RIMs will improve localization accuracy and enhance existing protocols in the higher network layers, enabling RIM-assisted MAC access with collision avoidance and physical layer security.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.