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Intelligent Sky Mirrors: SAC-Driven MF-RIS Optimization for Secure NOMA in Low-Altitude Economy

  • Sai Zhao
  • , Fanjin Kong
  • , Dong Tang
  • , Tuo Wu*
  • , Shunxing Yang
  • , Kai-Kit Wong
  • , Kin-Fai Tong
  • , Kwai-Man Luk
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

Abstract

Low-altitude economy (LAE) has become a key driving force for smart cities and economic growth. To address spectral efficiency and communication security challenges in LAE, this paper investigates secure energy efficiency (SEE) maximization using intelligent sky mirrors, UAV-mounted multifunctional reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (MF-RIS) assisting nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems. These aerial mirrors intelligently amplify legitimate signals while simultaneously generating jamming against eavesdroppers. We formulate a joint optimization problem encompassing UAV trajectory, base station power allocation, RIS phase shifts, amplification factors, and scheduling matrices. Given the fractional SEE objective and dynamic UAV scenarios, we propose a two-layer optimization scheme: SAC-driven first layer for trajectory and power management, and channel alignment-based second layer for phase optimization. Simulations demonstrate that our proposed scheme significantly outperforms benchmark approaches. © 1967-2012 IEEE.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages6
JournalIEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
DOIs
Publication statusOnline published - 13 Mar 2026

Funding

This research work of T. Wu was funded by Hong Kong Research Grants Council under the Area of Excellence Scheme under Grant AoE/E-101/23-N.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  2. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Research Keywords

  • intelligent sky mirrors
  • Low-altitude economy
  • multifunctional RIS
  • nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA)
  • soft actor critic

RGC Funding Information

  • RGC-funded

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  • AoE(UGC): Advanced Antenna Technology for a Smart World

    LUK, K. M. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator), CHAN, C. H. (Co-Principal Investigator), GAO, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), LEUNG, K. W. (Co-Principal Investigator), LIN, W. (Co-Principal Investigator), LU, J. (Co-Principal Investigator), LUCYSZYN, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), Pang, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), TONG, K. F. K. (Co-Principal Investigator), WONG, H. (Co-Principal Investigator), WONG, M. H. A. (Co-Principal Investigator), ZHENG, S. (Co-Principal Investigator), LAU, V. K. N. (Co-Investigator), WANG, H. (Co-Investigator) & WONG, K.-K. (Co-Investigator)

    1/01/24 → …

    Project: Research

  • AoE(UGC)-Sub-pj: Advanced Antenna Technology for a Smart World

    LU, J. (Principal Investigator / Project Coordinator)

    1/01/24 → …

    Project: Research

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