Worst-Case Jamming on MIMO Gaussian Channels

Abstract

Worst-case jamming of legitimate communications over multiple-input multiple-output Gaussian channels is studied in this paper. A worst-case scenario with a `smart' jammer that knows all channels and the transmitter's strategy and is only power limited is considered. It is shown that the simplification of the system model by neglecting the properties of the jamming channel leads to a loss of important insights regarding the effects of the jamming power and jamming channel on optimal jamming strategies of the jammer. Without neglecting the jamming channel, a lower-bound on the rate of legitimate communication subject to jamming is derived, and conditions for this bound to be positive are given. The lower-bound rate can be achieved regardless of the quality of the jamming channel, the power limit of the jammer, and the transmit strategy of the jammer. Moreover, general forms of an optimal jamming strategy, on the basis of which insights into the effect of jamming power and jamming channel are exposed, are given. It is shown that the general forms can lead to closed-form optimal jamming solutions when the power limit of the jammer is larger than a threshold. Subsequently, the scenario in which the effect of jamming dominates the effect of noise (the case of practical interest) is considered, and an optimal jamming strategy is derived in closed-form. Simulation examples demonstrate lower-bound rates, performance of the derived jamming strategy, and an effect of inaccurate channel information on the jamming strategy.