Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

UAV-Enabled Short-Packet Communication via Fluid Antenna Systems

Xusheng Zhu, Kai-Kit Wong, Hanjiang Hong, Han Xiao, Hao Xu, Tuo Wu, Chan-Byoung Chae

TL;DR

This work addresses UAV-enabled URLLC in urban environments by leveraging a fluid antenna system (FAS) at the UE to harvest spatial diversity in a compact form. It develops closed-form block error rate (BLER) expressions for a two-hop UAV relaying link under spatially correlated Nakagami-$m$ fading and provides high-SNR diversity-order results, revealing a first-hop bottleneck. An energy efficiency (EE) maximization problem that includes non-trivial FAS port-selection overhead is formulated and solved via a hierarchical algorithm, yielding an optimal finite number of ports and an optimal UAV altitude that balances blockage and path loss. Numerical results validate the analytical framework, quantify FAS gains over fixed antennas, and demonstrate the trade-off between diversity and overhead in determining the best system configuration. The study delivers actionable design insights for FAS-aided UAV communications and points to fruitful extensions to multi-user and imperfect CSI scenarios.

Abstract

This paper develops a framework for analyzing UAV-enabled short-packet communication, leveraging fluid antenna system (FAS)-assisted relaying networks. Operating in the short-packet regime and focusing on challenging urban environments, we derive novel, closed-form expressions for the block error rate (BLER). This is achieved by modeling the spatially correlated Nakagami-$m$ fading link via a tractable eigenvalue-based approach. A high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) asymptotic analysis is also presented, revealing the system's fundamental diversity order. Building on this analysis, we formulate a novel energy efficiency (EE) maximization problem that, unlike idealized models, uniquely incorporates the non-trivial time and energy overheads of FAS port selection. An efficient hierarchical algorithm is proposed to jointly optimize key system parameters. Numerical results validate our analysis, demonstrating that while FAS provides substantial power gains, the operational overhead creates a critical trade-off. This trade-off dictates an optimal number of FAS ports and a non-trivial optimal UAV deployment altitude, governed by the balance between blockage and path loss. This work provides key insights for FAS-aided UAV communications.

UAV-Enabled Short-Packet Communication via Fluid Antenna Systems

TL;DR

This work addresses UAV-enabled URLLC in urban environments by leveraging a fluid antenna system (FAS) at the UE to harvest spatial diversity in a compact form. It develops closed-form block error rate (BLER) expressions for a two-hop UAV relaying link under spatially correlated Nakagami- fading and provides high-SNR diversity-order results, revealing a first-hop bottleneck. An energy efficiency (EE) maximization problem that includes non-trivial FAS port-selection overhead is formulated and solved via a hierarchical algorithm, yielding an optimal finite number of ports and an optimal UAV altitude that balances blockage and path loss. Numerical results validate the analytical framework, quantify FAS gains over fixed antennas, and demonstrate the trade-off between diversity and overhead in determining the best system configuration. The study delivers actionable design insights for FAS-aided UAV communications and points to fruitful extensions to multi-user and imperfect CSI scenarios.

Abstract

This paper develops a framework for analyzing UAV-enabled short-packet communication, leveraging fluid antenna system (FAS)-assisted relaying networks. Operating in the short-packet regime and focusing on challenging urban environments, we derive novel, closed-form expressions for the block error rate (BLER). This is achieved by modeling the spatially correlated Nakagami- fading link via a tractable eigenvalue-based approach. A high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) asymptotic analysis is also presented, revealing the system's fundamental diversity order. Building on this analysis, we formulate a novel energy efficiency (EE) maximization problem that, unlike idealized models, uniquely incorporates the non-trivial time and energy overheads of FAS port selection. An efficient hierarchical algorithm is proposed to jointly optimize key system parameters. Numerical results validate our analysis, demonstrating that while FAS provides substantial power gains, the operational overhead creates a critical trade-off. This trade-off dictates an optimal number of FAS ports and a non-trivial optimal UAV deployment altitude, governed by the balance between blockage and path loss. This work provides key insights for FAS-aided UAV communications.
Paper Structure (20 sections, 4 theorems, 36 equations, 4 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 20 sections, 4 theorems, 36 equations, 4 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. System Model
  3. System Geometry and Probabilistic Path Loss
  4. Channel and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) Model
  5. First Hop (BS-to-UAV)
  6. Second Hop (UAV-to-UE)
  7. Performance Analysis
  8. Block Error Rate (BLER) Analysis
  9. First-Hop Average BLER
  10. Second-Hop Average BLER
  11. End-to-End BLER and Asymptotic Analysis
  12. Energy Efficiency Optimization
  13. Transmit Power Minimization
  14. Optimal Port Number Determination
  15. Optimal Flying Height Determination
  16. ...and 5 more sections

Key Result

Lemma 1

The first-hop SNR CDF for link type $k$ is where $\vartheta_1^k(\theta) \triangleq m_1 / \bar{\gamma}_1^k(\theta)$.

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: System model.
  • Figure 2: BLER performance: (a) Analytical validation and (b) Baseline comparison.
  • Figure 3: BLER vs. aperture size and UAV power vs. altitude.
  • Figure 4: EE analysis and global optimization.

Theorems & Definitions (6)

  • Lemma 1
  • Lemma 2
  • Theorem 1
  • Remark 1
  • Theorem 2
  • Remark 2