Digital Twin-Aided Prescreening for User Scheduling in MU-MIMO Downlink Systems

Abstract

In dense deployments, massive multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) base stations can acquire instantaneous channel state information (CSI) for only a limited subset of users per scheduling interval, restricting multiuser diversity. We therefore propose Digital Twin User pre-Screening (DiTUS), a digital-twin (DT)-aided framework that identifies promising users before instantaneous CSI acquisition. DiTUS forms spatial covariances from DT-inferred departure angles and path powers. Optional Gaussian-process (GP) calibration mitigates path-power bias, while the dominant rank-r eigenspace of the aggregate covariance yields common reference beams. It prescreens the pool using DiTUS-P, a low-complexity projection-energy rule, or DiTUS-L, a greedy log-determinant rule that promotes spatial compatibility. A two-level protocol collects scalar beam reports from shortlisted users and requests r-dimensional effective-channel vectors only from the scheduled set. The framework also supports proportional-fair scheduling. At 15 dB under DT imperfections, simulations with 128 candidates, a 64-user effective-CSI acquisition budget, and a 64-user shortlist show that DiTUS-L achieves 35.06 +/- 0.49 bps/Hz versus 30.28 +/- 0.60 bps/Hz for semi-orthogonal user selection (SUS) with full-dimensional CSI from 64 users, demonstrating that DT-based prescreening preserves substantial multiuser-diversity gains by identifying strong, spatially compatible users before acquiring effective-channel vectors.