Secure communication design for multi-user peer-to-peer wireless relay networks

• Published in: IET communications Vol. 10; no. 7; pp. 770 - 777
• Main Authors: Gong, Xiangwu, Long, Hang, Dong, Feihong, Yin, Hao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 05.05.2016
• Subjects: Algorithms; amplify and forward communication; amplify‐and‐forward protocol; computer network security; concave programming; convex problem; convex programming; Design engineering; gradient methods; gradient‐based algorithm; mathematical analysis; max‐min achievable secrecy rate problem; minimax techniques; minimisation; multiuser peer‐to‐peer wireless relay network; nonconvex optimisation problem; nonlinear optimisation problem; nonlinear programming; numerical evaluation; Optimization; peer‐to‐peer computing; physical layer security technique; polynomial time algorithm; Polynomials; power minimisation problem; protocols; radio networks; relaxation technique; relaxation theory; Relay networks; relay networks (telecommunication); secrecy rate maximisation; secure wireless communication design; Social networks; Systems design; total power optimisation problem; Wireless communication; radio networks; nonlinear programming; secrecy rate maximisation; amplify-and-forward protocol; minimax techniques; amplify and forward communication; power minimisation problem; nonconvex optimisation problem; relaxation technique; physical layer security technique; total power optimisation problem; gradient-based algorithm; relaxation theory; protocols; gradient methods; concave programming; relay networks (telecommunication); multiuser peer-to-peer wireless relay network; peer-to-peer computing; polynomials; max-min achievable secrecy rate problem; convex programming; mathematical analysis; secure wireless communication design; polynomial time algorithm; computer network security; nonlinear optimisation problem; convex problem; numerical evaluation; minimisation
• ISSN: 1751-8628; 1751-8636
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-com.2015.0609

In this study, physical layer security techniques are studied for multi-user peer-to-peer relay networks using amplify-and-forward protocol in the presence of an eavesdropper. Two system designs are considered: the minimum achievable secrecy rate maximisation and the total transmit power minimisation. First, considering user fairness, the authors study the max–min achievable secrecy rate problem subject to a total transmit power constraint. Mathematically, the optimisation problem is non-linear and non-convex. They propose a polynomial time algorithm based on the bisection technique to solve it. Second, they study the total transmit power minimisation problem which aims at minimising the total transmit power at relays such that individual secrecy rate for each user is satisfied. The total power optimisation problem is also non-convex, so they use the relaxation technique to transform it into a convex problem which can be efficiently solved by the gradient-based algorithms. Numerical evaluation of the obtained secrecy rate and transmit power results shows that the proposed designs can significantly improve the performance of secure wireless communications.