Physical Layer Security in Wireless Networks – Concept, Performance and Perspectives

Ensuring secure wireless communications is crucial, given their vulnerability to a wide range of risks and attacks. Physical Layer Security (PLS) techniques offer an excellent complement to traditional cryptographic algorithms, enhancing overall security. This paper provides a brief overview of the theoretical foundations of PLS techniques, and presents the basic concept. Three models are simulated and analyzed: a basic model and two cooperative models involving one and two jammers. The performance for these models, in terms of secrecy rate and bit error rate, are evaluated. Finally, the paper concludes with insights into potential applications and the future prospects of PLS techniques in modern wireless communication systems.