Fluid Antenna Systems: The Next Frontier in 6G Wireless Communications

As we move towards the sixth generation (6G) of wireless communications, the demand for ultra-high data rates, massive connectivity, and extreme reliability requires a fundamental rethinking of wireless system design. Fluid Antenna Systems (FAS) have emerged as a revolutionary technology poised to redefine the physical layer by introducing unprecedented levels of flexibility. Unlike traditional systems with fixed antennas, FAS can dynamically reconfigure the antenna’s position, shape, or radiation pattern in real time, enabling much finer-grained adaptation to the wireless channel. This paradigm shift from static to fluid antennas unlocks significant potential gains in diversity, spectral efficiency, and link robustness, making FAS a cornerstone technology for 6G.



This special issue aims to bring together the latest high-quality research on FAS, covering the entire spectrum from fundamental theory and hardware implementation to network-level protocols and integration with other emerging 6G technologies. We solicit original research articles, surveys, and visionary papers that address the key challenges and opportunities in this exciting field.



Topics of Interest

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following seven key areas:



1. Electromagnetic Modeling and Compliance:

• Near-field and far-field channel models for FAS.

• Physics-based modeling of fluid/movable antennas.

• Electromagnetic-circuit co-design and optimization.

• Mutual coupling analysis and mitigation.

• SAR and human exposure compliance for dynamic antennas.



2. Channel Estimation and Management:

• AI/ML-based channel prediction and port selection.

• Low-overhead CSI acquisition and feedback compression. • Hierarchical and sparse channel sensing techniques.

• Channel aging and mobility management in FAS.



3. Hardware Implementation and Prototypes:

• Liquid metal-based fluid antenna designs.

• Pixel-based reconfigurable antennas (PRA-FAS) with electronic switching.

• Flexible-Position MIMO (FLP-MIMO) systems.

• Microfluidics, MEMS, and metamaterial-based reconfiguration mechanisms.

• Experimental validation and testbed development.



4. Energy Efficiency (Green FAS):

• Energy consumption models for different FAS hardware.

• Power control and energy-efficient port selection algorithms.

• Trade-offs between performance gains and energy consumption.

• Energy-efficient design in multi-cell and network-level FAS deployments.



5. Security and Privacy:

• Physical layer security in FAS-enabled systems.

• Defense against beam-hijacking and jamming attacks. • RF fingerprinting for authentication using FAS.

• Secure key generation exploiting channel randomness.



6. Standardization and Deployment:

• Proposed modifications to 3GPP standards for FAS support.

• Cost-benefit analysis for large-scale FAS deployment.

• Coexistence and interoperability with legacy MIMO systems.

• Over-the-air (OTA) testing and performance evaluation methodologies.



7. Integration with 6G Technologies:

• Joint design and optimization of FAS and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS).

• FAS for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC).

• Performance analysis of FAS in Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) systems.

• FAS for Terahertz (THz) and near-field communications.

• Integration of FAS in Cell-Free Massive MIMO and user-centric networks.



Submission Guidelines

Authors are invited to submit their manuscripts electronically through the journal’s online submission system.

All submissions must be original and may not be under review by another publication.

Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the journal’s author guidelines.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Fluid antenna systems, Reconfigurable antennas, Channel prediction, Energy efficiency, Physical layer security

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.