Asymmetric Evaluations of Erasure and Undetected Error Probabilities

The problem of channel coding with the erasure option is revisited for discrete memoryless channels. The interplay between the code rate, the undetected and total error probabilities is characterized. Using the information spectrum method, a sequence of codes of increasing blocklengths $n$ is designed to illustrate this tradeoff. Furthermore, for additive discrete memoryless channels with uniform input distribution, we establish that our analysis is tight with respect to the ensemble average. This is done by analysing the ensemble performance in terms of a tradeoff between the code rate, the undetected and the total errors. This tradeoff is parametrized by the threshold in a generalized likelihood ratio test. Two asymptotic regimes are studied. First, the code rate tends to the capacity of the channel at a rate slower than $n^{-1/2}$ corresponding to the moderate deviations regime. In this case, both error probabilities decay subexponentially and asymmetrically. The precise decay rates are characterized. Second, the code rate tends to capacity at a rate of $n^{-1/2}$. In this case, the total error probability is asymptotically a positive constant while the undetected error probability decays as $\exp(- b n^{ 1/2})$ for some $b>0$. The proof techniques involve applications of a modified (or "shifted") version of the G\"artner-Ellis theorem and the type class enumerator method to characterize the asymptotic behavior of a sequence of cumulant generating functions.Comment: 28 pages, no figures in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 201

Entanglement-assisted capacity of constrained quantum channel

In this paper we fill the gap in previous works by proving the formula for entanglement-assisted capacity of quantum channel with additive constraint (such as bosonic Gaussian channel). The main tools are the coding theorem for classical-quantum constrained channels and a finite dimensional approximation of the input density operators for entanglement-assisted capacity. The new version contains improved formulation of sufficient conditions under which suprema in the capacity formulas are attained.Comment: Extended version of paper presented at Quantum Informatics Symposium, Zvenigorod, 1-4.10.200

Density Evolution for Asymmetric Memoryless Channels

Density evolution is one of the most powerful analytical tools for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and graph codes with message passing decoding algorithms. With channel symmetry as one of its fundamental assumptions, density evolution (DE) has been widely and successfully applied to different channels, including binary erasure channels, binary symmetric channels, binary additive white Gaussian noise channels, etc. This paper generalizes density evolution for non-symmetric memoryless channels, which in turn broadens the applications to general memoryless channels, e.g. z-channels, composite white Gaussian noise channels, etc. The central theorem underpinning this generalization is the convergence to perfect projection for any fixed size supporting tree. A new iterative formula of the same complexity is then presented and the necessary theorems for the performance concentration theorems are developed. Several properties of the new density evolution method are explored, including stability results for general asymmetric memoryless channels. Simulations, code optimizations, and possible new applications suggested by this new density evolution method are also provided. This result is also used to prove the typicality of linear LDPC codes among the coset code ensemble when the minimum check node degree is sufficiently large. It is shown that the convergence to perfect projection is essential to the belief propagation algorithm even when only symmetric channels are considered. Hence the proof of the convergence to perfect projection serves also as a completion of the theory of classical density evolution for symmetric memoryless channels.Comment: To appear in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Discriminated Belief Propagation

Near optimal decoding of good error control codes is generally a difficult task. However, for a certain type of (sufficiently) good codes an efficient decoding algorithm with near optimal performance exists. These codes are defined via a combination of constituent codes with low complexity trellis representations. Their decoding algorithm is an instance of (loopy) belief propagation and is based on an iterative transfer of constituent beliefs. The beliefs are thereby given by the symbol probabilities computed in the constituent trellises. Even though weak constituent codes are employed close to optimal performance is obtained, i.e., the encoder/decoder pair (almost) achieves the information theoretic capacity. However, (loopy) belief propagation only performs well for a rather specific set of codes, which limits its applicability. In this paper a generalisation of iterative decoding is presented. It is proposed to transfer more values than just the constituent beliefs. This is achieved by the transfer of beliefs obtained by independently investigating parts of the code space. This leads to the concept of discriminators, which are used to improve the decoder resolution within certain areas and defines discriminated symbol beliefs. It is shown that these beliefs approximate the overall symbol probabilities. This leads to an iteration rule that (below channel capacity) typically only admits the solution of the overall decoding problem. Via a Gauss approximation a low complexity version of this algorithm is derived. Moreover, the approach may then be applied to a wide range of channel maps without significant complexity increase

Concentration of Measure Inequalities in Information Theory, Communications and Coding (Second Edition)

During the last two decades, concentration inequalities have been the subject of exciting developments in various areas, including convex geometry, functional analysis, statistical physics, high-dimensional statistics, pure and applied probability theory, information theory, theoretical computer science, and learning theory. This monograph focuses on some of the key modern mathematical tools that are used for the derivation of concentration inequalities, on their links to information theory, and on their various applications to communications and coding. In addition to being a survey, this monograph also includes various new recent results derived by the authors. The first part of the monograph introduces classical concentration inequalities for martingales, as well as some recent refinements and extensions. The power and versatility of the martingale approach is exemplified in the context of codes defined on graphs and iterative decoding algorithms, as well as codes for wireless communication. The second part of the monograph introduces the entropy method, an information-theoretic technique for deriving concentration inequalities. The basic ingredients of the entropy method are discussed first in the context of logarithmic Sobolev inequalities, which underlie the so-called functional approach to concentration of measure, and then from a complementary information-theoretic viewpoint based on transportation-cost inequalities and probability in metric spaces. Some representative results on concentration for dependent random variables are briefly summarized, with emphasis on their connections to the entropy method. Finally, we discuss several applications of the entropy method to problems in communications and coding, including strong converses, empirical distributions of good channel codes, and an information-theoretic converse for concentration of measure.Comment: Foundations and Trends in Communications and Information Theory, vol. 10, no 1-2, pp. 1-248, 2013. Second edition was published in October 2014. ISBN to printed book: 978-1-60198-906-