Sparsity-Exploiting Channel Estimation For Unsourced Random Access With Fluid Antenna

Abstract: This work explores the channel estimation (CE) problem in uplink transmission for unsourced random access (URA) with a fluid antenna receiver. The additional spatial diversity in a fluid antenna system (FAS) addresses the needs of URA design in multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) systems. We present two CE strategies based on the activation of different FAS ports, namely alternate ports and partial ports CE. Both strategies facilitate the estimation of channel coefficients and angles of arrival (AoAs). Additionally, we discuss how to refine channel estimation by leveraging the sparsity of finite scatterers. Specifically, the proposed partial ports CE strategy is implemented using a regularized estimator, and we optimize the estimator's parameter to achieve the desired AoA precision and refinement. Extensive numerical results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed strategies, and a comparison with a conventional receiver using half-wavelength antennas highlights the promising future of integrating URA and FAS.