April 15, 2010 –
Yousefi’zadeh and Jafarkhani
A paper written by CALIT2 academic affiliates Homayoun Yousefi’zadeh and Hamid Jafarkhani, professors of electrical engineering and computer science, has received the 2010 Best Paper Award from the IEEE/KICS Journal of Communications and Networks (JCN).
“A Study of Connectivity in MIMO (Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output) Systems Fading Ad-Hoc Networks” was first published in the February 2009 issue of JCN. It was co-written with Sayed Javad Kazemitabar, who received his doctorate from UCI in 2008.
A wireless ad hoc network does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers or access points. Instead, each node forwards data to certain other nodes selected on the basis of network connectivity.
Using two new metrics, the authors investigated connectivity problems in fading wireless ad hoc networks. They chose to examine connectivity issues based on the capacity of MIMO channels and their symbol error rate rather than the more-commonly-measured received signal strength.
Using computer simulations, the authors related both metrics to the characteristics in underlying systems, including antenna configuration, modulation, coding and signal strength. Their analysis showed that measuring connectivity only on signal strength doesn’t accurately portray the reality. In addition, they demonstrated how the use of multiple-antenna mobile nodes improves connectivity in these ad hoc networks.
The award, which includes a $2,000 honorarium, a plaque and travel expenses, will be presented May 24 at the IEEE International Conference on Communications in Cape Town, South Africa.
— Anna Lynn Spitzer
