Spectral Shape of Doubly-Generalized LDPC Codes: Efficient and Exact Evaluation

This paper analyzes the asymptotic exponent of the weight spectrum for irregular doubly-generalized LDPC (D-GLDPC) codes. In the process, an efficient numerical technique for its evaluation is presented, involving the solution of a 4 x 4 system of polynomial equations. The expression is consistent with previous results, including the case where the normalized weight or stopping set size tends to zero. The spectral shape is shown to admit a particularly simple form in the special case where all variable nodes are repetition codes of the same degree, a case which includes Tanner codes; for this case it is also shown how certain symmetry properties of the local weight distribution at the CNs induce a symmetry in the overall weight spectral shape function. Finally, using these new results, weight and stopping set size spectral shapes are evaluated for some example generalized and doubly-generalized LDPC code ensembles.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures. To appear in IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Spectral Shape of Check-Hybrid GLDPC Codes

This paper analyzes the asymptotic exponent of both the weight spectrum and the stopping set size spectrum for a class of generalized low-density parity-check (GLDPC) codes. Specifically, all variable nodes (VNs) are assumed to have the same degree (regular VN set), while the check node (CN) set is assumed to be composed of a mixture of different linear block codes (hybrid CN set). A simple expression for the exponent (which is also referred to as the growth rate or the spectral shape) is developed. This expression is consistent with previous results, including the case where the normalized weight or stopping set size tends to zero. Furthermore, it is shown how certain symmetry properties of the local weight distribution at the CNs induce a symmetry in the overall weight spectral shape function.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Presented at the IEEE ICC 2010, Cape Town, South Africa. A minor typo in equation (9) has been correcte

Design of Finite-Length Irregular Protograph Codes with Low Error Floors over the Binary-Input AWGN Channel Using Cyclic Liftings

We propose a technique to design finite-length irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over the binary-input additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with good performance in both the waterfall and the error floor region. The design process starts from a protograph which embodies a desirable degree distribution. This protograph is then lifted cyclically to a certain block length of interest. The lift is designed carefully to satisfy a certain approximate cycle extrinsic message degree (ACE) spectrum. The target ACE spectrum is one with extremal properties, implying a good error floor performance for the designed code. The proposed construction results in quasi-cyclic codes which are attractive in practice due to simple encoder and decoder implementation. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed construction in comparison with similar existing constructions.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Trans. Communication

Low-Density Parity-Check Codes From Transversal Designs With Improved Stopping Set Distributions

This paper examines the construction of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes from transversal designs based on sets of mutually orthogonal Latin squares (MOLS). By transferring the concept of configurations in combinatorial designs to the level of Latin squares, we thoroughly investigate the occurrence and avoidance of stopping sets for the arising codes. Stopping sets are known to determine the decoding performance over the binary erasure channel and should be avoided for small sizes. Based on large sets of simple-structured MOLS, we derive powerful constraints for the choice of suitable subsets, leading to improved stopping set distributions for the corresponding codes. We focus on LDPC codes with column weight 4, but the results are also applicable for the construction of codes with higher column weights. Finally, we show that a subclass of the presented codes has quasi-cyclic structure which allows low-complexity encoding.Comment: 11 pages; to appear in "IEEE Transactions on Communications

Tree-Based Construction of LDPC Codes Having Good Pseudocodeword Weights

We present a tree-based construction of LDPC codes that have minimum pseudocodeword weight equal to or almost equal to the minimum distance, and perform well with iterative decoding. The construction involves enumerating a $d$-regular tree for a fixed number of layers and employing a connection algorithm based on permutations or mutually orthogonal Latin squares to close the tree. Methods are presented for degrees $d=p^s$ and $d = p^s+1$, for $p$ a prime. One class corresponds to the well-known finite-geometry and finite generalized quadrangle LDPC codes; the other codes presented are new. We also present some bounds on pseudocodeword weight for $p$-ary LDPC codes. Treating these codes as $p$-ary LDPC codes rather than binary LDPC codes improves their rates, minimum distances, and pseudocodeword weights, thereby giving a new importance to the finite geometry LDPC codes where $p > 2$.Comment: Submitted to Transactions on Information Theory. Submitted: Oct. 1, 2005; Revised: May 1, 2006, Nov. 25, 200