T4: Holographic Radio: A New Paradigm for Ultra-Massive MIMO

Co-organizer: Boya Di, Peking University, China
Co-organizer: Hongliang Zhang, Princeton University, USA
Co-organizer: Lingyang Song, Peking University, China

Abstract: Ultra-massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is one of the key enablers in the forthcoming sixth generation (6G) networks to provide revolutionary mobile connectivity and high-speed data services by exploiting spatial diversity. Widely utilized phased arrays relying on costly components make the implementation of ultra-massive MIMO in practice become prohibitive from both cost and power consumption perspectives. The recent developed reconfigurable holographic surfaces (RHSs) composing of densely packing sub-wavelength meta material elements can achieve holographic beam forming without costly hardware components. By leveraging the holographic principle, the RHS serves as an ultra-thin and lightweight surface antenna integrated with the transceiver, thereby providing a promising alternative to phased arrays for realizing ultra-massive MIMO. In this tutorial, we will first provide a basic introduction of RHSs. We then introduce the unique features of RHSs which enables both communication and sensing, in a comprehensive way. Related design, analysis, optimization, and signal processing techniques will be presented. Typical RHS-based applications for the wireless communications and radio frequency sensing will be explored. The implementation issues along with our developed prototypes and experiments will also be discussed. Several up-to-date challenges and potential research directions will be discussed as well.

 

Co-organizer’s bios:

Boya Di

Bio: Boya Di (S’17-M’19) obtained her Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electronics, Peking University, China, in 2019. Prior to that, she received the B.S. degree in electronic engineering from Peking University in 2014. She was a postdoc researcher at Imperial College London and is now an assistant professor at Peking University. Her current research interests include holographic radio, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, multi-agent systems, edge computing, and aerial access networks. She has published over 30 journal papers on the topic of reconfigurable holographic surface aided communications and sensing. She received the best doctoral thesis award from China Education Society of Electronics in 2019. She is also the recipient of 2021 IEEE ComSoc Asia-Pacific Outstanding Paper Award. She serves as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology since June 2020. She has also served as a workshop co-chair for IEEE WCNC 2020&2021.

 

Hongliang Zhang

Bio: Hongliang Zhang (S’15-M’19) received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Peking University, in 2014 and 2019, respectively. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Houston, Texas. Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University, New Jersey. His current research interest includes reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, aerial access networks, optimization theory, and game theory. He received the best doctoral thesis award from Chinese Institute of Electronics in 2019. He is an exemplary reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Communications in 2020. He is also the recipient of 2021 IEEE Comsoc Heinrich Hertz Award for Best Communications Letters and 2021 IEEE ComSoc Asia-Pacific Outstanding Paper Award. He has served as a TPC Member for many IEEE conferences, such as Globecom, ICC, and WCNC. He is currently an Editor for IEEE Communications Letters, IET Communications, and Frontiers in Signal Processing. He has also served as a Guest Editor for several journals, such as IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Journal of Communications and Networks, etc.

 

Lingyang Song

Bio: Lingyang Song (S’03-M’06-SM’12-F’19) received his PhD from the University of York, UK, in 2007. He worked as a research fellow at the University of Oslo, Norway until rejoining Philips Research UK in March 2008. In May 2009, he joined the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, and is now a Boya Distinguished Professor. His main research interests include wireless communications, mobile computing, and machine learning. Dr. Song is the co-author of many awards, including IEEE Leonard G. Abraham Prize in 2016, IEEE ICC 2014, IEEE ICC 2015, IEEE Globecom 2014, and the best demo award in the ACM Mobihoc 2015. He received National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2017, First Prize in Nature Science Award of Ministry of Education of China in 2017. Dr. Song has served as an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer (2015-2018), an Area Editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2019-), Co-chair of IEEE Communications Society Asia Pacific Board Technical Affairs Committee (2020-). He is a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher.