Ergodic Rate Analysis and IRS Configuration for Multi-IRS Dual-Hop DF Relaying Systems

Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) has emerged as a promising and low-cost technology for improving wireless communications by collecting dispersed radio waves and redirecting them to the intended receivers. In this letter, we characterize the achievable rate when multiple IRSs are utilized in the manner of decode-and-forward (DF) relaying. Our performance analysis is based on the Nakagami-
$m$
fading model with perfect channel state information (CSI). Tight upper bound expressions for the ergodic rate are derived. Moreover, we compare the performance of the multi-IRS DF relaying system with that of the one with a single IRS and confirm the gain. We then optimize the IRS configuration considering the numbers of IRSs and IRS reflecting elements, which provides useful insights for practical design.