438 research outputs found
Reed-Muller codes for random erasures and errors
This paper studies the parameters for which Reed-Muller (RM) codes over
can correct random erasures and random errors with high probability,
and in particular when can they achieve capacity for these two classical
channels. Necessarily, the paper also studies properties of evaluations of
multi-variate polynomials on random sets of inputs.
For erasures, we prove that RM codes achieve capacity both for very high rate
and very low rate regimes. For errors, we prove that RM codes achieve capacity
for very low rate regimes, and for very high rates, we show that they can
uniquely decode at about square root of the number of errors at capacity.
The proofs of these four results are based on different techniques, which we
find interesting in their own right. In particular, we study the following
questions about , the matrix whose rows are truth tables of all
monomials of degree in variables. What is the most (resp. least)
number of random columns in that define a submatrix having full column
rank (resp. full row rank) with high probability? We obtain tight bounds for
very small (resp. very large) degrees , which we use to show that RM codes
achieve capacity for erasures in these regimes.
Our decoding from random errors follows from the following novel reduction.
For every linear code of sufficiently high rate we construct a new code
, also of very high rate, such that for every subset of coordinates, if
can recover from erasures in , then can recover from errors in .
Specializing this to RM codes and using our results for erasures imply our
result on unique decoding of RM codes at high rate.
Finally, two of our capacity achieving results require tight bounds on the
weight distribution of RM codes. We obtain such bounds extending the recent
\cite{KLP} bounds from constant degree to linear degree polynomials
Modern Coding Theory: The Statistical Mechanics and Computer Science Point of View
These are the notes for a set of lectures delivered by the two authors at the
Les Houches Summer School on `Complex Systems' in July 2006. They provide an
introduction to the basic concepts in modern (probabilistic) coding theory,
highlighting connections with statistical mechanics. We also stress common
concepts with other disciplines dealing with similar problems that can be
generically referred to as `large graphical models'.
While most of the lectures are devoted to the classical channel coding
problem over simple memoryless channels, we present a discussion of more
complex channel models. We conclude with an overview of the main open
challenges in the field.Comment: Lectures at Les Houches Summer School on `Complex Systems', July
2006, 44 pages, 25 ps figure
CONVERGENCE IMPROVEMENT OF ITERATIVE DECODERS
Iterative decoding techniques shaked the waters of the error correction and communications
field in general. Their amazing compromise between complexity and performance
offered much more freedom in code design and made highly complex codes, that were
being considered undecodable until recently, part of almost any communication system.
Nevertheless, iterative decoding is a sub-optimum decoding method and as such, it has
attracted huge research interest. But the iterative decoder still hides many of its secrets,
as it has not been possible yet to fully describe its behaviour and its cost function.
This work presents the convergence problem of iterative decoding from various angles
and explores methods for reducing any sub-optimalities on its operation. The decoding
algorithms for both LDPC and turbo codes were investigated and aspects that contribute
to convergence problems were identified. A new algorithm was proposed, capable of providing
considerable coding gain in any iterative scheme. Moreover, it was shown that
for some codes the proposed algorithm is sufficient to eliminate any sub-optimality and
perform maximum likelihood decoding. Its performance and efficiency was compared to
that of other convergence improvement schemes.
Various conditions that can be considered critical to the outcome of the iterative decoder
were also investigated and the decoding algorithm of LDPC codes was followed
analytically to verify the experimental results
Coordinated design of coding and modulation systems
The joint optimization of the coding and modulation systems employed in telemetry systems was investigated. Emphasis was placed on formulating inner and outer coding standards used by the Goddard Spaceflight Center. Convolutional codes were found that are nearly optimum for use with Viterbi decoding in the inner coding of concatenated coding systems. A convolutional code, the unit-memory code, was discovered and is ideal for inner system usage because of its byte-oriented structure. Simulations of sequential decoding on the deep-space channel were carried out to compare directly various convolutional codes that are proposed for use in deep-space systems
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