Beamformer designs for MISO broadcast channels with zero-forcing dirty paper coding

We consider the beamformer design for multiple-input multiple-output (MISO) broadcast channels (MISO BCs) using zero-forcing dirty paper coding (ZF-DPC). Assuming a sum power constraint (SPC), most previously proposed beamformer designs are based on the QR decomposition (QRD), which is a natural choice to satisfy the ZF constraints. However, the optimality of the QRD-based design for ZF-DPC has remained unknown. In this paper, first, we analytically establish that the QRD-based design is indeed optimal for any performance measure under a SPC. Then, we propose an optimal beamformer design method for ZF-DPC with per-antenna power constraints (PAPCs), using a convex optimization framework. The beamformer design is first formulated as a rank-1-constrained optimization problem. Exploiting the special structure of the ZF-DPC scheme, we prove that the rank constraint can be relaxed and still provide the same solution. In addition, we propose a fast converging algorithm to the beamformer design problem, under the duality framework between the BCs and multiple access channels (MACs). More specifically, we show that a BC with ZF-DPC has the dual MAC with ZF-based successive interference cancellation (ZF-SIC). In this way, the beamformer design for ZF-DPC is transformed into a power allocation problem for ZF-SIC, which can be solved more efficiently.