Joint Design of Optical Phased Array Beamforming and OFDM Waveform in Optical Wireless Integrated Sensing and Communication

Beamforming and waveform design are key essentials for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in future wireless networks, which also inspires the emerging research of optical wireless ISAC (OW-ISAC). In this paper, we investigate the joint design of optical phased array (OPA) beamforming and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform, thus extending the radio-frequency (RF)-ISAC paradigm to the optical band. First, the system model for the OPA-based OW-ISAC framework is introduced to facilitate simultaneous communication and sensing. Next, signal processing techniques are tailored for an optical OFDM waveform with precisely separated communication and sensing subcarriers. Then, the joint optimization problem of OPA beamforming and OFDM waveform design is formulated, decomposed, and resolved to reach a flexible compromise between communication and sensing performances. Moreover, numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of the proposed OW-ISAC scheme and reveal the trade-off between communication and sensing functionalities. Consequently, the capabilities of reliable communication and precise sensing will establish OW-ISAC as a powerful complement to RF-ISAC in the near future.