Analysis of PAPR-Aware OFDM Waveforms for Integrated Sensing and Communication

This paper addresses the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms under unit modulus constraint for Integrated Sensing and Communication systems (ISAC). We conduct a comparative analysis of radar and communication performance for waveforms optimized using classical PAPR reduction techniques, primarily Tone Reservation (TR) and Selected Mapping (SLM), as well as their state-of-the-art sensing-aware variants, across radar- and communication-centric scenarios. Additionally, we investigate the pilot-aided case with pseudorandom pilot tones. The results reveal a trade-off between PAPR reduction, radar sensing capability, and computational cost, offering practical insights for efficient OFDM-based ISAC system design.