Pinching Antenna-Assisted Index Modulation Multiple Access for 6G Uplink Networks

Abstract

Pinching antennas (PAs) reconfigure wireless channels by adjusting the positions of radiating elements along dielectric waveguides. In this paper, we propose a PA-assisted index modulation multiple-access (PA-IMMA) scheme for 6G uplink communications, where each user conveys information through both modulation symbols and time-slot indices. We further develop a PA-position optimization algorithm that adapts the PA deployment to the user distribution by maximizing the minimum equivalent channel gain, thereby improving the BER performance of the weakest user and enhancing user fairness. Simulation results show that PA-IMMA outperforms conventional PA-based time-division multiple access and validate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization algorithm.