FAS-RSMA: Can Fluid Antennas Elevate RSMA Performance?

TL;DR

This paper explores how fluid antenna systems (FAS) can enhance rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) performance in 6G networks by improving interference control and channel conditions, especially under imperfect CSIT.

Contribution

It introduces a correlation-aware analytical framework for FAS-RSMA, deriving closed-form outage probability and capacity expressions, demonstrating performance gains over traditional systems.

Findings

FAS improves the weakest user channel and SINR.

VBC model matches simulations more accurately than CBC.

FAS-RSMA outperforms conventional antenna systems and NOMA.

Abstract

As 6G networks demand massive connectivity and stronger interference control, rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) is attractive because it superposes a common stream and user-private streams and remains effective under imperfect CSIT and heterogeneous traffic. In practical multiuser deployments, two considerations arise: the common stream decoding constraint imposed by the weakest user, and residual inter-user interference can remain non-negligible, particularly in single-input single-output (SISO) broadcast settings and under an imperfect CSIT scenario. Motivated by prior advances of RSMA research, we investigate a complementary mechanism-fluid antenna systems (FAS), with dynamic port reconfiguration supplies adaptive spatial selectivity without altering the RSMA signaling structure. Can FAS help alleviate these considerations and enhance RSMA performance? We develop a tractable correlation-aware analytical framework based on block-correlation models, including constant block correlation (CBC) and variable block correlation (VBC), to capture realistic spatial dependence among ports. Closed-form expressions are derived for outage probability (OP) and average capacity (AC), revealing how port reconfiguration strengthens the weakest effective channel and improves SINR through higher channel gains and lower relative noise impact. Monte Carlo simulations verify the analysis and show that VBC matches simulations more tightly than CBC across all port configurations. Finally, FAS-RSMA provides clear gains over conventional antenna systems and NOMA, achieving lower OP and higher AC by combining RSMA interference management with FAS spatial diversity.