This paper studies vector space interference alignment for the three-user MIMO interference channel with no time or frequency diversity. The main result is a characterization of the feasibility of interference alignment in the symmetric case where all transmitters have M antennas and all receivers have N antennas. If N >= M and all users desire d transmit dimensions, then alignment is feasible if and only if (2r+1)d = N. It turns out that, just as for the 3-user parallel interference channel BT09 , the length of alignment paths captures the essence of the problem. In fact, for each feasible value of M and N the maximum alignment path length dictates both the converse and achievability arguments. One of the implications of our feasibility criterion is that simply counting equations and comparing to the number of variables does not predict feasibility. Instead, a more careful investigation of the geometry of the alignment problem is required. The necessary condition obtained by counting equations is implied by our new feasibility criterion.
We emphasize that in this paper we restrict attention to vector space interference alignment, where the effect of finite channel diversity can be observed. Interfering signals can also be aligned on the signal scale using lattice codes (first proposed in @cite_23 , see also @cite_14 , @cite_4 , @cite_13 ), however the understanding of this type of alignment is currently at the stage corresponding to infinite time or frequency diversity in the vector space setting. In other words, essentially perfect" alignment is possible due to the infinite channel precision available at infinite signal-to-noise ratios.
@cite_13 @cite_14 @cite_4 @cite_23
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In this paper, we develop the machinery of real interference alignment. This machinery is extremely powerful in achieving the sum degrees of freedom (DoF) of single antenna systems. The scheme of real interference alignment is based on designing single-layer and multilayer constellations used for modulating information messages at the transmitters. We show that constellations can be aligned in a similar fashion as that of vectors in multiple antenna systems and space can be broken up into fractional dimensions. The performance analysis of the signaling scheme makes use of a recent result in the field of Diophantine approximation, which states that the convergence part of the Khintchine-Groshev theorem holds for points on nondegenerate manifolds. Using real interference alignment, we obtain the sum DoF of two model channels, namely the Gaussian interference channel (IC) and the X channel. It is proved that the sum DoF of the K-user IC is (K 2) for almost all channel parameters. We also prove that the sum DoF of the X-channel with K transmitters and M receivers is (K M K + M - 1) for almost all channel parameters. An interference alignment example is constructed for the deterministic channel model of the K-user interference channel. The deterministic channel example is then translated into the Gaussian setting, creating the first known example of a fully connected Gaussian K-user interference network with single antenna nodes, real, nonzero and constant channel coefficients, and no propagation delays where the degrees of freedom outerbound is achieved. An analogy is drawn between the propagation delay based interference alignment examples and the deterministic channel model which also allows similar constructions for the two-user X channel as well. Recently, Etkin, Tse, and Wang found the capacity region of the two-user Gaussian interference channel to within 1 bit s Hz. A natural goal is to apply this approach to the Gaussian interference channel with an arbitrary number of users. We make progress towards this goal by finding the capacity region of the many-to-one and one-to-many Gaussian interference channels to within a constant number of bits. The result makes use of a deterministic model to provide insight into the Gaussian channel. The deterministic model makes explicit the dimension of signal level. A central theme emerges: the use of lattice codes for alignment of interfering signals on the signal level.