# Rate Maximization for Downlink Pinching-Antenna Systems

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.12629 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.12629/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 18 Feb 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Straggler-Resilient Federated Learning over A Hybrid Conventional and Pinching Antenna Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.15821/) (2025)
- [Deep Learning Optimization of Two-State Pinching Antennas Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.06222/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this letter, we consider a new type of flexible-antenna system, termed pinching-antenna, where multiple low-cost pinching antennas, realized by activating small dielectric particles on a dielectric waveguide, are jointly used to serve a single-antenna user. Our goal is to maximize the downlink transmission rate by optimizing the locations of the pinching antennas. However, these locations affect both the path losses and the phase shifts of the user's effective channel gain, making the problem challenging to solve. To address this challenge and solve the problem in a low complexity manner, a relaxed optimization problem is developed that minimizes the impact of path loss while ensuring that the received signals at the user are constructive. This approach leads to a two-stage algorithm: in the first stage, the locations of the pinching antennas are optimized to minimize the large-scale path loss; in the second stage, the antenna locations are refined to maximize the received signal strength. Simulation results show that pinching-antenna systems significantly outperform conventional fixed-location antenna systems, and the proposed algorithm achieves nearly the same performance as the highly complex exhaustive search-based benchmark.