Simultaneously Transmitting and Reflecting Surfaces for Wireless Communications

This book begins with discussing the fundamentals of Simultaneously Transmitting and Reflecting Surfaces (STARS) from the electromagnetic (EM) and communication perspectives. The basic signal and channel models for employing STARS in wireless communications is introduced as well.  Then, the different categories and possible hardware implementation of STARS are highlighted. Next, the authors focus on attention to the STARS-aided wireless communications. The authors provide a comprehensive performance analysis of STARS with the outage probability, diversity gain and power scaling laws. Moreover, the operating protocols and corresponding beamforming design of STARS are discussed under different phase-shift models. 

As a further advance, the application of machine learning tools in STAR-aided wireless communications is introduced for addressing the beamforming design and resource allocation problems. The novel STARS-aided integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) in future wireless networks are also discussed with several case studies. Within this book, readers will find an extensive exploration of the STARS concept. The content encompasses a thorough survey of STARS research, covering principles, implementation, performance evaluation and applications. By presenting a comprehensive review of the STARS family, this book serves as a valuable resource for gaining insight into the complete pipeline of STARS research. Finally, the authors conclude the book by highlighting several future research directions for STARS. 

This book targets graduate, undergraduate, and postgraduate students as well as researchers working in wireless communications. Wireless communication engineers in industry and government will also want to purchase this book.

Yuanwei Liu has been a (tenured) full Professor in Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) since September, 2024.  His research interests include non-orthogonal multiple access, reconfigurable intelligent surface, integrated sensing and communications, and machine learning. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of AAIA, a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher, an IEEE Communication Society Distinguished Lecturer, an IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Distinguished Lecturer, the rapporteur of ETSI Industry Specification Group on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces on work item of “Multi-functional Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS): Modelling, Optimisation, and Operation”, and the UK representative for the URSI Commission C on “Radio communication Systems and Signal Processing”. He was listed as one of 35 Innovators Under 35 China in 2022 by MIT Technology Review. He received IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Young Researcher Award for EMEA in 2020. He received the 2020 IEEE Signal Processing and Computing for Communications (SPCC) Technical Committee Early Achievement Award, IEEE Communication Theory Technical Committee (CTTC) 2021 Early Achievement Award. He received IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Nominee for Best Young Professionals Award in 2021. He is the co-recipient of the 2024 IEEE Communications Society Heinrich Hertz Award, the Best Student Paper Award in IEEE VTC2022-Fall, the Best Paper Award in ISWCS 2022, the 2022 IEEE SPCC-TC Best Paper Award, the 2023 IEEE ICCT Best Paper Award, and the 2023 IEEE ISAP Best Emerging Technologies Paper Award. He serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of IEEE ComSoc TC Newsletter, an Area Editor of IEEE Communications Letters, an Editor of IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking, and IEEE Transactions on Communications (2018-2023). He serves as the (leading) Guest Editor for Proceedings of the IEEE on Next Generation Multiple Access, IEEE JSAC on Next Generation Multiple Access, IEEE JSTSP on Intelligent Signal Processing and Learning for Next Generation Multiple Access, and IEEE Network on Next Generation Multiple Access for 6G. He serves as the Publicity Co-Chair for IEEE VTC 2019-Fall, the Panel Co-Chair for IEEE WCNC 2024, Symposium Co-Chair for several flagship conferences such as IEEE GLOBECOM, ICC and VTC. He serves the academic Chair for the Next Generation Multiple Access Emerging Technology Initiative, vice chair of SPCC and Technical Committee on Cognitive Networks (TCCN).
 
Xidong Mu has been a lecturer (an assistant professor) with the Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI), Queen’s University Belfast, U.K. since August 2024. His research interests include non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), reconfigurable intelligent surface aided communications, integrated sensing and communications, semantic communications, and optimization theory. He received the IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Young Researcher Award for EMEA region in 2023, the Exemplary Reviewer Certificate of the IEEE Transactions on Communications in 2020 and 2022, and the IEEE Communication Letters in 2021-2023. He is the recipient of the 2024 IEEE Communications Society Heinrich Hertz Award, the Best Paper Award in ISWCS 2022, the 2022 IEEE SPCC-TC Best Paper Award, and the Best Student Paper Award in IEEE VTC2022-Fall. He serves as the Public Engagement and Social Networks Coordinator of IEEE ComSoC SPCC Technical Committee, the secretary of the IEEE ComSoc Next Generation Multiple Access (NGMA) Emerging Technology Initiative and the Special Interest Group (SIG) in SPCC Technical Committee on Signal Processing Techniques for NGMA. He also serves as an Editor of IEEE Transactions on Communications, a Guest Editor for IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking} Special Issue on “Machine Learning and Intelligent Signal Processing for Near-Field Technologies”, IEEE Internet of Things Journal Special Issue on “Next Generation Multiple Access for Internet-of-Things”, the NGMA workshop co-chairs of IEEE WCNC 2023, IEEE PIMRC 2023, and IEEE GLOBECOM 2023, and the “Mobile and Wireless Networks” symposium co-chair of IEEE GLOBECOM 2025. 
 
Jiaqi Xu received his B.S. degree in Physics and Computer Science from Peking University, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen Mary University of London, U.K. He joins University of California, Irvine as a postdoctoral scholar in 2023. His research interests mainly focus on the cross section between physics and wireless communication.
 
Junshan Zhang is a professor in the ECE Department at University of California Davis. He received his Ph.D. degree from the School of ECE at Purdue University in Aug. 2000, and was on the faculty of the School of ECEE at Arizona State University from 2000 to 2021. His research interests fall in the general field of information networks and data science, including edge AI, reinforcement learning, continual learning, network optimization and control, game theory, with applications in connected and automated vehicles, 5G and beyond, wireless networks, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart grid. Prof. Zhang is a Fellow of the IEEE, and a recipient of the ONR Young Investigator Award in 2005 and the NSF CAREER award in 2003. He received the IEEE Wireless Communication Technical Committee Recognition Award in 2016. His papers have won a few awards, including the Best Student paper at WiOPT 2018, the Kenneth C. Sevcik Outstanding Student Paper Award of ACM SIGMETRICS/IFIP Performance 2016, the Best Paper Runner-up Award of IEEE INFOCOM 2009 and IEEE INFOCOM 2014, and the Best Paper Award at IEEE ICC 2008 and ICC 2017. Building on his research findings, he co-founded Smartiply Inc in 2015, an edge Computing startup company delivering boosted network connectivity and embedded artificial intelligence for IoT applications. He served as Editor-in-chief for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication during 2019―2022.