Advances in Fractional Order Signal Processing: Theory and Methods

A special issue of Fractal and Fractional (ISSN 2504-3110). This special issue belongs to the section "Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2026 | Viewed by 758

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China
Interests: fractional Fourier transform; sparse optimization; cone and stochastic optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China
Interests: fractional order signal processing theory and method; time-frequency analysis; sampling theory; sparse discrete algorithm; graph signal processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rapid development of information technology, the research object of signal processing gradually shifts from relatively simple and stable signals to more complex signals such as non-stationary, non-Gaussian, and time-varying. Traditional signal processing theories and methods can no longer meet practical needs. Fractional Fourier transform uses a set of linear frequency-modulated orthogonal bases to decompose signals, making it suitable for processing non-stationary signals. The theory and methods of fractional order signal processing are favored by many researchers due to their unique characteristics. With the demand for big data and real-time signal processing, sparse fractional order transformations and extensions, as well as fast algorithms, have been developed and widely applied in spectral sensing, image recognition and fusion, compressed sampling, and sparse representation. With the continuous emergence of large-scale irregular high-dimensional signals, fractional order graph signal processing has been developed.

This Special Issue aims to continue advancing research on topics related to fractional order signal processing theory, methods, and applications. The topics for invitation submission include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Fractional order signal processing;
  • Sparse fractional order signal processing;
  • Fractional order graph signal processing;
  • Fractional order image processing;
  • Fractional order machine learning.

Dr. Yuan-Min Li
Prof. Dr. Deyun Wei
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fractal and Fractional 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 2700 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

  • fractional integral transform
  • sparse fractional order transform
  • sparse representation and fast algorithm
  • graph transform
  • sampling and filtering
  • convolutional neural network
  • digital signal processing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

31 pages, 4861 KB  
Article
Fractional-Order African Vulture Optimization-Based Beamforming for Planar Antenna Array
by Fares S. Almehmadi and Bakht Muhammad Khan
Fractal Fract. 2026, 10(2), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract10020131 - 22 Feb 2026
Viewed by 383
Abstract
Beamforming plays a central role in enhancing the performance of communication systems; however, suppressing sidelobes in planar antenna arrays (PAAs) while maintaining a compact aperture remains a challenging nonlinear optimization problem. This article presents a two-dimensional (2D) beamforming synthesis framework for PAAs based [...] Read more.
Beamforming plays a central role in enhancing the performance of communication systems; however, suppressing sidelobes in planar antenna arrays (PAAs) while maintaining a compact aperture remains a challenging nonlinear optimization problem. This article presents a two-dimensional (2D) beamforming synthesis framework for PAAs based on the Fractional-Order African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (FO-AVOA), with the objective of minimizing the peak sidelobe level (PSLL) through the joint optimization of amplitude excitations and element placements. The proposed method is benchmarked against established metaheuristic optimizers, including Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), hybrid PSO–GSA (PSOGSA), the Runge–Kutta Optimizer (RUN), the Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA), Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO), and the baseline African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (AVOA). Simulation results demonstrate that the FO-AVOA, coupled with the proposed 2D formulation, yields superior sidelobe suppression relative to the competing approaches, achieving a lower PSLL with fewer radiating elements, thereby reducing array complexity and overall implementation cost. The obtained results validate the suitability of the FO-AVOA for solving PAA in the context of BFA beamforming and suggest the potential utility of the FO-AVOA for pattern synthesis for other array shapes in various communication systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fractional Order Signal Processing: Theory and Methods)
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