Exploiting large-scale MIMO techniques for physical layer security with imperfect channel state information

In this paper, we study the problem of physical layer security in large-scale multiple input multiple output (LS-MIMO) systems. The large number of antenna elements in LS-MIMO system is exploited to enhance transmission security and improve system performance, especially when the eavesdropper is closer to the information source and has more antennas than the legitimate user. However, in practical systems, the problem becomes challenging because the eavesdropper channel state information (CSI) is usually unavailable without cooperation and the legitimate CSI may be imperfect due to channel estimation error. In this paper, we first analyze the performance of physical layer security without eavesdropper CSI and with imperfect legitimate CSI, and then propose an energy-efficient power allocation scheme to meet the demand for wireless security and quality of service (QoS) simultaneously. Finally, numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.