Securing Full-Duplex Amplify-and-Forward Relay-Aided Communications Through Processing-Time Optimization

We investigate physical-layer security of the full-duplex (FD) amplify-and-forward (AF) relay channel. We provide a new perspective on the problem and show that the processing time (delay) at the relay can be exploited to improve the system’s security. We show that the FD AF relay channel can be seen as an intersymbol-interference (ISI) channel, hence, the discrete-Fourier transform (DFT) can be used for data modulation and demodulation to convert the frequency-selective channel into flat-fading channel per sub-channel/sub-carrier. By exploiting the fact that the channel memory needs to be cleared by inserting the cyclic-prefix, Alice injects an artificial-noise (AN) signal that hurts the eavesdropping nodes only. The strength of this AN signal and its interference rank are controlled by the relay’s processing time.