Tiangao Gou

On Feasibility of Interference Alignment in MIMO Interference Networks

We explore the feasibility of interference alignment in signal vector space-based only on beamforming-for K-user MIMO interference channels. Our main contribution is to relate the feasibility issue to the problem of determining the solvability of a multivariate polynomial system which is considered extensively in algebraic geometry. It is well known, e.g., from Bezouts theorem, that generic polynomial systems are solvable if and only if the number of equations does not exceed the number of variables. Following this intuition, we classify signal space interference alignment problems as either proper or improper based on the number of equations and variables. Rigorous connections between feasible and proper systems are made through Bernshteins theorem for the case where each transmitter uses only one beamforming vector. The multibeam case introduces dependencies among the coefficients of a polynomial system so that the system is no longer generic in the sense required by both theorems. In this case, we show that the connection between feasible and proper systems can be further strengthened (since the equivalency between feasible and proper systems does not always hold) by including standard information theoretic outer bounds in the feasibility analysis.

Degrees of Freedom of the

We provide inner bound and outer bound for the total number of degrees of freedom of the K user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian interference channel with M antennas at each transmitter and N antennas at each receiver if the channel coefficients are time-varying and drawn from a continuous distribution. The bounds are tight when the ratio [(max(M,N))/(min(M,N))]=R is equal to an integer. For this case, we show that the total number of degrees of freedom is equal to min(M,N)K if K ≤ R and min(M,N)[(R)/(R+1)]K if K > R. Achievability is based on interference alignment. We also provide examples where using interference alignment combined with zero forcing can achieve more degrees of freedom than merely zero forcing for some MIMO interference channels with constant channel coefficients.

K

We propose a blind interference alignment scheme for the vector broadcast channel where the transmitter is equipped with M antennas and there are K receivers, each equipped with a reconfigurable antenna capable of switching among M preset modes. Without any knowledge of the channel coefficient values at the transmitters and with only mild assumptions on the channel coherence structure we show that MK/M+K-1 degrees of freedom are achievable. The key to the blind interference alignment scheme is the ability of the receivers to switch between reconfigurable antenna modes to create short term channel fluctuation patterns that are exploited by the transmitter. The achievable scheme does not require cooperation between transmit antennas and is therefore applicable to the M × K X network as well. Only finite symbol extensions are used, and no channel knowledge at the receivers is required to null the interference.

User

The degrees of freedom (DoF) of K-user MIMO interference networks with constant channel coefficients are not known in general. Determining the feasibility of a linear interference alignment is a key step toward solving this open problem. Our approach in this paper is to view the alignment problem for interference networks as a multivariate polynomial system and determine its solvability by comparing the number of equations and the number of variables. Consequently, we divide the interference networks into two classes - proper and improper, where interference alignment is and is not achievable, respectively. An interference network is called proper if the cardinality of every subset of equations in the corresponding polynomial system is less than or equal to the number of variables involved in that subset of equations. Otherwise, it is called improper. Our intuition in this paper is that for general channel matrices, proper systems are almost surely feasible and improper systems are almost surely infeasible. We prove the direct link between proper (improper) and feasible (infeasible) systems for some important cases, thus significantly strengthening our intuition. Numerical simulation results also support our intuition.

M \times N

We show that the 2 × 2 × 2 interference network, i.e., the multihop interference network formed by concatenation of two 2-user interference channels achieves the min-cut outer bound value of 2 DoF, for almost all values of channel coefficients, for both time-varying or fixed channel coefficients. The key to this result is a new idea, called aligned interference neutralization, that provides a way to align interference terms over each hop in a manner that allows them to be cancelled over the air at the last hop.

MIMO Interference Channel

We consider a multiple-input-single-output (MISO) broadcast channel with mixed channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) that consists of imperfect current CSIT and perfect outdated CSIT. Recent work by Kobayashi et al. presented a scheme that exploits both imperfect current CSIT and perfect outdated CSIT and achieves higher degrees of freedom (DoF) than possible with only imperfect current CSIT or only outdated CSIT individually. In this work, we further improve the achievable DoF in this setting by incorporating additional private messages, and provide a tight information theoretic DoF outer bound, thereby identifying the DoF optimal use of mixed CSIT. The new result is stronger even in the original setting of only delayed CSIT, because it allows us to remove the restricting assumption of statistically equivalent fading for all users.

Aiming Perfectly in the Dark-Blind Interference Alignment Through Staggered Antenna Switching

We show that the 3 user M_T × M_R MIMO interference channel where each transmitter is equipped with M_T and each receiver is equipped with M_R antennas has min (M/2-1/k, N/2+1/k) degrees of freedom (DoF) per user normalized by time, frequency, and space dimensions, where N = max(M_T, M_R), M = min(M_T, M_R), k = [M/N-M]. While the information theoretic DoF outer bound is established for every M, N value, the achievability, relying only on linear interference alignment, is established in general subject to a normalization with respect to spatial-extensions, i.e., the scaling of the number of antennas at all nodes. In the absence of spatial extensions, we can also show through examples how essentially the same alignment scheme may be applied over time or frequency extensions. The central new insight to emerge from this work is the notion of subspace alignment chains as DoF bottlenecks. The subspace alignment chains are instrumental both in identifying the extra dimensions provided by a genie to a receiver for the DoF outer bound, as well as constructing the optimal interference alignment schemes. In addition, our results also settle the question of feasibility of linear interference alignment for the 3 user M_T × M_R MIMO interference channel, for all values of M_T, M_R.

Feasibility Conditions for Interference Alignment

Previous work showed that the 2×2×2 interference channel, i.e., the multihop interference network formed by concatenation of two 2-user interference channels, achieves the min-cut outer bound value of 2 DoF. This work studies the 2×2×2 interference channel with one additional assumption that two relays interfere with each other. It is shown that even in the presence of the interfering links between two relays, the min-cut outer bound of 2 DoF can still be achieved for almost all values of channel coefficients, for both fixed or time-varying channel coefficients. The achievable scheme relies on the idea of aligned interference neutralization as well as exploiting memory at source and relay nodes.

Aligned Interference Neutralization and the Degrees of Freedom of the 2

We provide inner bound and outer bound for the total number of degrees of freedom of the K user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) Gaussian interference channel with M antennas at each transmitter and N antennas at each receiver if the channel coefficients are time-varying and drawn from a continuous distribution. The bounds are tight when the ratio max(M, N)/min (M, N) = R is equal to an integer. For this case, we show that the total number of degrees of freedom is equal to min(M, N)K if K les R and min(M, N) R/R +1 K if K > R. Achievability is based on interference alignment.

\,\times \,

We propose a blind interference alignment scheme for the vector broadcast channel where the transmitter is equipped with M antennas and there are K receivers, each equipped with a reconfigurable antenna capable of switching among M preset modes. Without any knowledge of the channel coefficient values at the transmitters and with only mild assumptions on the channel coherence structure we show that MK/M+K-1 degrees of freedom are achievable. The key to the blind interference alignment scheme is the ability of the receivers to switch between reconfigurable antenna modes to create short term channel fluctuation patterns that are exploited by the transmitter. The achievable scheme does not require cooperation between transmit antennas and is therefore applicable to the M × K X network as well. Only finite symbol extensions are used, and no channel knowledge at the receivers is required to null the interference.