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Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and...
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Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and Applications

A Special Issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300) belonging to the section "Information Theory, Probability and Statistics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2026) | Viewed by 2572

Editors

Dr. Lin Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
Interests: information theory; statistical inference; physical layer security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Cyber Science and Technology, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Interests: UAV ad hoc networking and intelligent swarm countermeasure; integrated space–air–ground–sea network security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Cyber Science and Technology, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Interests: information theory; random matrix theory; wireless communication security; integrated space–air–ground–sea network security; UAV networks
Dr. Jinpeng Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Interests: UAV security communication; integrated space–air–ground–sea network security; security for integrated sensing and communication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on “Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and Applications.”

With the rapid development of sixth-generation (6G) communication systems, various forms of wireless networks, including Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communications, and satellite communications, suffer from high security risks due to the open nature of wireless channels. Traditional cryptographic methods alone are no longer sufficient to meet the growing security demands of large-scale, heterogeneous, and resource-constrained next generation wireless networks. On the other hand, physical layer security (PLS), including secret key generation, secure communications via the wiretap channel and covert communication, has emerged as a solution and gained significant research interest in the past decade. Leveraging tools from information theory, signal processing, and wireless communications, PLS aims to provide confidentiality, integrity, and stealth against eavesdropping, jamming, and detection among other malicious attacks. PLS offers unique advantages via ultra-low latency, high reliability, and seamless integration with cutting edge technologies for wireless networks.

In call to the critical role of PLS, this Special Issue focuses on PLS for next-generation wireless systems. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Theoretical foundations of PLS;
  • PLS for MIMO and massive MIMO systems;
  • PLS for non-orthogonal multiple access and massive access;
  • Artificial intelligence and deep learning-enabled PLS;
  • PLS for integrated sensing and communication;
  • PLS for IoT, V2X, UAV, and satellite networks;
  • PLS for low-altitude wireless networks;
  • Anti-jamming and anti-eavesdropping techniques;
  • Experimental testbeds and prototype implementations;
  • Information-theoretic analysis of integrated sensing,communication and control;
  • Advanced antenna technology for PLS.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lin Zhou
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Wang
Dr. Xin Zhang
Dr. Jinpeng Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical layer security
  • secure communication
  • covert communication
  • information-theoretic security
  • key generation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 12596 KB  
Article
Time Modulation-Based Multi-User Covert Communication
by Lanxiang Jiang, Xuanya Zhang, Qun Chen, Xin Wan, Fei Yang and Gang Yang
Entropy 2026, 28(7), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/e28070773 - 8 Jul 2026
Viewed by 451
Abstract
Multi-antenna-based covert communication techniques exploit spatial degrees of freedom to improve transmission efficiency under covertness constraints, but this generally comes at the cost of increased hardware complexity and power consumption. To this end, time-modulated arrays (TMA) enable multi-user covert communication with a single [...] Read more.
Multi-antenna-based covert communication techniques exploit spatial degrees of freedom to improve transmission efficiency under covertness constraints, but this generally comes at the cost of increased hardware complexity and power consumption. To this end, time-modulated arrays (TMA) enable multi-user covert communication with a single radio-frequency (RF) chain, providing a promising solution for low-complexity and energy-efficient covert communication. However, the infinite-order harmonics generated by time modulation spread signal energy over the entire spectrum, allowing the warden to enhance detection capability via cross-band observations, which aggravates signal leakage toward unintended directions. This paper develops a binary hypothesis testing model from the perspective of the warden based on infinite-order harmonic characteristics, to characterize the statistical properties and power distribution of harmonic-induced leakage. Furthermore, since the Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence is intractable under infinite-order harmonic conditions, a computable upper bound is derived to enable covert constraint analysis. Considering the strong coupling among system parameters, an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the minimum covert transmission rate, and a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed for the joint design of time modulation, power allocation, and spatial phase. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme effectively suppresses signal leakage and improves covert transmission performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and Applications)
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19 pages, 1142 KB  
Article
RIS-Aided Physical Layer Security with Imperfect CSI: A Robust Model-Driven Deep Learning Approach
by Ruikai Miao, Zhiqun Song, Yong Li, Xingjian Li, Lizhe Liu, Guoyuan Shao and Bin Wang
Entropy 2026, 28(4), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040457 - 16 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 707
Abstract
Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) emerges as a promising paradigm and offers a new perspective for physical layer security. In practice, imperfect eavesdropper channel state information (CSI) represents a critical challenge for RIS-aided physical layer security design. To tackle this issue, this paper investigates [...] Read more.
Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) emerges as a promising paradigm and offers a new perspective for physical layer security. In practice, imperfect eavesdropper channel state information (CSI) represents a critical challenge for RIS-aided physical layer security design. To tackle this issue, this paper investigates RIS-aided physical layer security enhancement under imperfect eavesdropper CSI and formulates a robust weighted sum secrecy rate maximization problem. To efficiently solve this problem, a model-driven deep learning approach is proposed. We begin by introducing the gradient descent–ascent algorithm to solve the optimization problem. Then we unfold this algorithm into a gated recurrent unit (GRU)-aided deep unfold network with trainable parameters. The proposed GRU-aided deep unfold network leverages GRU to adaptively generate gradient ascent–descent step sizes. Different from the existing deep unfold network that commonly has a fixed number of iteration, the proposed deep unfold network integrates the sequential learning capability of GRU and enables adaptive iteration adjustment. The simulation results demonstrate that compared to existing non-robust optimization algorithm and traditional deep unfold network with fixed number of iteration, the proposed method exhibits robustness against imperfect CSI and achieves higher weighted sum secrecy rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and Applications)
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23 pages, 1645 KB  
Article
Secure Cooperative Communications in 6G Networks: A Constrained Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning Framework with Hybrid Action Space
by Xiaosi Tian, Zulin Wang and Yuanhan Ni
Entropy 2026, 28(4), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/e28040412 - 4 Apr 2026
Viewed by 553
Abstract
With the rapid evolution toward 6G networks, ensuring robust physical layer security (PLS) in highly dynamic and heterogeneous wireless environments has become a key challenge. Traditional security methods often struggle to adapt to time-varying channels, especially in the absence of perfect channel state [...] Read more.
With the rapid evolution toward 6G networks, ensuring robust physical layer security (PLS) in highly dynamic and heterogeneous wireless environments has become a key challenge. Traditional security methods often struggle to adapt to time-varying channels, especially in the absence of perfect channel state information. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of node selection and power allocation in heterogeneous networks creates a complex hybrid action space operating across multiple timescales, significantly complicating the design of efficient and adaptive security strategies. To address this, this paper proposes a novel constrained hierarchical reinforcement learning (CHRL) framework for secure cooperative communications in next-generation wireless systems. The framework is designed to optimize secrecy performance within a hybrid action space comprising both discrete node selection and continuous power allocation, operating at different timescales. By hierarchically decoupling the joint optimization problem, the upper layer performs risk-aware node selection to maximize long-term secrecy capacity (SC) while guaranteeing a stable and secure link. At the lower layer, we develop a constrained MiniMax Multi-objective Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (M3DDPG) algorithm that optimizes power allocation considering worst-case conditions. Lagrange multipliers are integrated to enforce a strictly positive SC constraint throughout transmission, effectively preventing security outages. Simulation results under time-varying Rayleigh fading channels demonstrate that the proposed CHRL framework outperforms existing HRL methods, achieving up to 17% improvement in SC while strictly maintaining security constraints. These results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for enhancing PLS in next-generation cooperative wireless networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Layer Security for Next-Generation Wireless Networks: Theory, Technologies, and Applications)
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