Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-empowered communication is one of the promising physical layer enabling technologies for the sixth generation (6G) wireless networks due to their unprecedented capabilities in shaping the wireless communication environment. RISs are modeled as passive objects that can not transmit or receive wireless signals. While the passiveness of these surfaces is a key advantage in terms of power consumption and implementation complexity, it limits their capability to interact with the other active components in the network. Specifically, unlike conventional base stations (BSs), which actively identify themselves to user equipment (UEs) by periodically sending pilot signals, RISs need to be detected from the UE side. This paper proposes a novel RIS identification (RIS- ID) scheme, enabling UEs to detect and uniquely identify RISs in their surrounding environment. Furthermore, to assess the proposed RIS-ID scheme, we propose two performance metrics: the false and miss detection probabilities. These probabilities are analytically derived and verified through computer simulations, revealing the effectiveness of the proposed RIS-ID scheme under different operating scenarios.

翻译：可重构智能表面（RIS）赋能的通信技术凭借其塑造无线通信环境的空前能力，成为第六代（6G）无线网络中最具前景的物理层使能技术之一。RIS被建模为无法发射或接收无线信号的被动对象。虽然其被动性在功耗与实现复杂度方面具有关键优势，但这限制了其与网络中其他有源组件交互的能力。具体而言，与通过周期性发送导频信号主动向用户设备（UE）进行身份标识的传统基站（BS）不同，RIS需要从UE侧进行检测。本文提出一种新颖的RIS识别（RIS-ID）方案，使UE能够检测并唯一标识其周围环境中的RIS。此外，为评估所提出的RIS-ID方案，我们定义了两种性能指标：虚警概率与漏检概率。通过理论推导与计算机仿真验证，揭示了所提RIS-ID方案在不同运行场景下的有效性。