The demand for mobile data is likely to grow at a pace more than envisaged in the coming years. Further, as applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT) come to fruition, there will be increased diversity in the types of devices demanding Internet connectivity and their requirements. Significant increase in data rate requirements is also expected due to services such as Ultra High Definition (UHD) video streaming and cloud computing. To meet all these demands, physical layer waveform candidates for future generations of communications need to be robust and inherently capable of extending into multiple domains (space, time, frequency, users, transmission media, code etc.) to ensure efficient utilization of resources. Multiple domains can be innately integrated into the design process of modulation schemes by using tensors, which are multi-way arrays. This paper introduces a unified tensor framework, providing a foundation for multi-domain communication systems that can be used to represent, design and analyse schemes that span several domains. Transmitted signals are represented by Nth order time function tensors which are coupled, using a system tensor of order N + M, with the received signals which are represented by another tensor of order M through the contracted convolution. We begin with the continuous time representation of the tensor system model and present both the strict multi-domain generalization of the Nyquist criterion for zero interference (inter-tensor and intra-tensor interference) as well as a relaxation. We present an equivalent discrete time system model, and as an example of using the tensor framework we derive tensor based linear equalization methods to combat multi-domain interference. An application to multi-user MIMO-GFDM illustrates the utility of this novel framework for derivation of joint domain signal processing techniques.

Most modern communication systems, such as those intended for deployment in IoT applications or 5G and beyond networks, utilize multiple domains for transmission and reception at the physical layer. Depending on the application, these domains can include space, time, frequency, users, code sequences, and transmission media, to name a few. As such, the design criteria of future communication systems must be cognizant of the opportunities and the challenges that exist in exploiting the multi-domain nature of the signals and systems involved for information transmission. Focussing on the Physical Layer, this paper presents a novel mathematical framework using tensors, to represent, design, and analyze multi-domain systems. Various domains can be integrated into the transceiver design scheme using tensors. Tools from multi-linear algebra can be used to develop simultaneous signal processing techniques across all the domains. In particular, we present tensor partial response signaling (TPRS) which allows the introduction of controlled interference within elements of a domain and also across domains. We develop the TPRS system using the tensor contracted convolution to generate a multi-domain signal with desired spectral and cross-spectral properties across domains. In addition, by studying the information theoretic properties of the multi-domain tensor channel, we present the trade-off between different domains that can be harnessed using this framework. Numerical examples for capacity and mean square error are presented to highlight the domain trade-off revealed by the tensor formulation. Furthermore, an application of the tensor framework to MIMO Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing (GFDM) is also presented.