Joint resource allocation and artificial noise design for multiuser wiretap OFDM channels

PHY-layer security is one of promising techniques for enhanced security and privacy protection in 5G communications. In this paper, the joint resource allocation and artificial noise (AN) design problem of multiuser wiretap orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems is investigated to improve the system secrecy rate and power efficiency, which can help to provide waveform design references for secure 5G communications. In such a multiuser wiretap OFDM system, one legitimate transmitter (Alice), multiple legitimate receivers (Bobs), and one eavesdropper (Eve) are simultaneously considered. The time-domain artificial noise is firstly involved to guarantee the target secrecy rates of multiple Bobs. Then a sum secrecy rate maximization problem with nonconvex integer nonlinear programming is formulated to jointly optimize the power, subcarrier allocation and AN design. To solve this tough problem with low computational complexity, a heuristical sub-optimal subcarrier allocation method is proposed, followed by the Lagrange dual method based joint power allocation and AN design scheme. Moreover, considering that sum secrecy rate maximization may result in unfairness for Bobs with bad channel gains, the transmit power minimization problem that ensures a target secrecy rate for each individual Bob is further addressed. An iterative algorithm is proposed to solve this power minimization problem by updating the subcarrier, power allocation and AN design alternatively. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.