A primary objective of the forthcoming sixth generation (6G) of wireless networking is to support demanding applications, while ensuring energy efficiency. Programmable wireless environments (PWEs) have emerged as a promising solution, leveraging reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), to control wireless propagation and deliver exceptional quality-ofservice. In this paper, we analyze the performance of a network supported by zero-energy RISs (zeRISs), which harvest energy for their operation and contribute to the realization of PWEs. Specifically, we investigate joint energy-data rate outage probability and the energy efficiency of a zeRIS-assisted communication system by employing three harvest-and-reflect (HaR) methods, i) power splitting, ii) time switching, and iii) element splitting. Furthermore, we consider two zeRIS deployment strategies, namely BS-side zeRIS and UE-side zeRIS. Simulation results validate the provided analysis and examine which HaR method performs better depending on the zeRIS placement. Finally, valuable insights and conclusions for the performance of zeRISassisted wireless networks are drawn from the presented results.

翻译：即将到来的第六代（6G）无线网络的首要目标是在支持高要求应用的同时确保能效。可编程无线环境（PWE）作为一种有前景的解决方案应运而生，它利用可重构智能表面（RIS）来调控无线传播，并提供卓越的服务质量。本文分析了由零能量RIS（zeRIS）支撑的网络性能，这类RIS通过能量采集维持运行，并助力实现可编程无线环境。具体而言，我们采用三种“采集-反射”（HaR）方法——即i）功率分配、ii）时间切换、iii）元件分配——研究了zeRIS辅助通信系统的联合能量-数据速率中断概率及能效。此外，我们考虑了两种zeRIS部署策略，即基站侧zeRIS和用户侧zeRIS。仿真结果验证了所提供分析的正确性，并检验了在不同zeRIS部署位置下哪种HaR方法性能更优。最后，基于所得结果，总结了关于zeRIS辅助无线网络性能的重要见解与结论。