The GDOF of 3-user MIMO Gaussian interference channel

TL;DR

This paper determines the optimal generalized degrees of freedom for a 3-user MIMO Gaussian interference channel with asymmetric cross-channel strengths, introducing a novel message-splitting scheme and deterministic model analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a new message-splitting method for asymmetric MIMO interference channels and establishes the GDOF with a systematic deterministic model approach.

Findings

Optimal GDOF achieved with three-part message splitting.

Deterministic model capacity provides systematic side information for converse.

GDOF behavior differs significantly from symmetric case.

Abstract

The paper establishes the optimal generalized degrees of freedom (GDOF) of 3-user $M \times N$ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian interference channel (GIC) in which each transmitter has $M$ antennas and each receiver has $N$ antennas. A constraint of $2M \leq N$ is imposed so that random coding with message-splitting achieves the optimal GDOF. Unlike symmetric case, two cross channels to unintended receivers from each transmitter can have different strengths, and hence, well known Han-Kobayashi common-private message splitting would not achieve the optimal GDOF. Instead, splitting each user's message into three parts is shown to achieve the optimal GDOF. The capacity of the corresponding deterministic model is first established which provides systematic way of determining side information for converse. Although this deterministic model is philosophically similar to the one considered by Gou and Jafar, additional constraints are imposed so that capacity description of the deterministic model only contains the essential terms for establishing the GDOF of Gaussian case. Based on this, the optimal GDOF of Gaussian case is established with $\mathcal{O}(1)$ capacity approximation. The behavior of the GDOF is interestingly different from that of the corresponding symmetric case. Regarding the converse, several multiuser outer bounds which are suitable for asymmetric case are derived by non-trivial generalization of the symmetric case.