Capacity, coding and interference cancellation in multiuser multicarrier wireless communications systems

Multicarrier modulation and multiuser systems have generated a great deal of research during the last decade. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a multicarrier modulation generated with the inverse Discrete Fourier Transform, which has been adopted for standards in wireless and wire-line communications. Multiuser wireless systems using multicarrier modulation suffer from the effects of dispersive fading channels, which create multi-access, inter-symbol, and inter-carrier interference (MAI, ISI, ICI). Nevertheless, channel dispersion also provides diversity, which can be exploited and has the potential to increase robustness against fading. Multiuser multi-carrier systems can be implemented using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), a flexible orthogonal multiplexing scheme that can implement time and frequency division multiplexing, and using multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA). Coding, interference cancellation, and resource sharing schemes to improve the performance of multiuser multicarrier systems on wireless channels were addressed in this dissertation. Performance of multiple access schemes applied to a downlink multiuser wireless system was studied from an information theory perspective and from a more practical perspective. For time, frequency, and code division, implemented using OFDMA and MC-CDMA, the system outage capacity region was calculated for a correlated fading channel. It was found that receiver complexity determines which scheme offers larger capacity regions, and that OFDMA results in a better compromise between complexity and performance than MC-CDMA. From the more practical perspective of bit error rate, the effects of channel coding and interleaving were investigated. Results in terms of coding bounds as well as simulation were obtained, showing that OFDMAbased orthogonal multiple access schemes are more sensitive to the effectiveness of the code to provide diversity than non-orthogonal, MC-CDMA-based schemes. While cellular multiuser schemes suffer mainly from MAI, OFDM-based broadcasting systems suffer from ICI, in particular when operating as a single frequency network (SFN). It was found that for SFN the performance of a conventional OFDM receiver rapidly degrades when transmitters have frequency synchronization errors. Several methods based on linear and decision-feedback ICI cancellation were proposed and evaluated, showing improved robustness against ICI. System function characterization of time-variant dispersive channels is important for understanding their effects on single carrier and multicarrier modulation. Using time-frequency duality it was shown that MC-CDMA and DS-CDMA are strictly dual on dispersive channels. This property was used to derive optimal matched filter structures, and to determine a criterion for the selection of spreading sequences for both DS and MC CDMA. The analysis of multiple antenna systems provided a unified framework for the study of DS-CDMA and MC-CDMA on time and frequency dispersive channels, which can also be used to compare their performance

Performance of Fractionally Spread Multicarrier CDMA in AWGN as Well as Slow and Fast Nakagami-m Fading Channels

Abstract—In multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MCCDMA), the total system bandwidth is divided into a number of subbands, where each subband may use direct-sequence (DS) spreading and each subband signal is transmitted using a subcarrier frequency. In this paper, we divide the symbol duration into a number of fractional subsymbol durations also referred to here as fractions, in a manner analogous to subbands in MC-CDMA systems. In the proposed MC-CDMA scheme, the data streams are spread at both the symbol-fraction level and at the chip level by the transmitter, and hence the proposed scheme is referred to as the fractionally spread MC-CDMA arrangement, or FS MCCDMA. Furthermore, the FS MC-CDMA signal is additionally spread in the frequency (F)-domain using a spreading code with the aid of a number of subcarriers. In comparison to conventional MC-CDMA schemes, which are suitable for communications over frequency-selective fading channels, our study demonstrates that the proposed FS MC-CDMA is capable of efficiently exploiting both the frequency-selective and the time-selective characteristics of wireless channels. Index Terms—Broadband communications, code-division multiple access (CDMA), fractionally spreading, frequency-domain spreading, multicarrier modulation, Nakagami fading, timedomain spreading

Near-Instantaneously Adaptive HSDPA-Style OFDM Versus MC-CDMA Transceivers for WIFI, WIMAX, and Next-Generation Cellular Systems

Burts-by-burst (BbB) adaptive high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) style multicarrier systems are reviewed, identifying their most critical design aspects. These systems exhibit numerous attractive features, rendering them eminently eligible for employment in next-generation wireless systems. It is argued that BbB-adaptive or symbol-by-symbol adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) modems counteract the near instantaneous channel quality variations and hence attain an increased throughput or robustness in comparison to their fixed-mode counterparts. Although they act quite differently, various diversity techniques, such as Rake receivers and space-time block coding (STBC) are also capable of mitigating the channel quality variations in their effort to reduce the bit error ratio (BER), provided that the individual antenna elements experience independent fading. By contrast, in the presence of correlated fading imposed by shadowing or time-variant multiuser interference, the benefits of space-time coding erode and it is unrealistic to expect that a fixed-mode space-time coded system remains capable of maintaining a near-constant BER

Performance of the Smart Antenna Aided Generalized Multicarrier DS-CDMA Downlink using both Time-Domain Spreading and Steered Space-Time Spreading

In this contribution a generalized MC DS-CDMA system invoking smart antennas for improving the achievable performance in the downlink of the system is studied, which is capable of minimizing the downlink interference inflicted upon co-channel mobiles, while achieving frequency, time and spatial diversity. In the MC DS-CDMA system considered the transmitter employs multiple antenna arrays and each of the antenna arrays consists of several antenna elements. More specifically, the space-time transmitter processing scheme considered is based on the principles of Steered Space-Time Spreading (SSTS). Furthermore, the generalized MC DS-CDMA system employs time and frequency (TF)-domain spreading, where a user-grouping technique is employed for reducing the effects of multiuser interference

Coherent and Differential Downlink Space-Time Steering Aided Generalised Multicarrier DS-CDMA

This paper presents a generalised MultiCarrier Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (MC DS-CDMA) system invoking smart antennas for improving the achievable performance in the downlink. In this contribution, the MC DSCDMA transmitter employs an Antenna Array (AA) and Steered Space-Time Spreading (SSTS). Furthermore, the proposed system employs both Time and Frequency (TF) domain spreading for extending the capacity of the system, which is combined with a user-grouping technique for reducing the effects of Multi-User Interference (MUI). Moreover, to eliminate the high complexity Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) channel estimation required for coherent detection, we also propose a Differential SSTS (DSSTS) scheme. More explicitly, for coherent SSTS detection MVNr number of channel estimates have to be generated, where M is the number of transmit AAs, V is the number of subcarriers and Nr is the number of receive antennas. This is a challenging task, which renders the low-complexity DSSTS scheme attractive. Index Terms—MIMO, MC DS-CDMA, beamforming, spacetime spreading, differential space-time spreading

Multiuser Detection Assisted Time- and Frequency-Domain Spread Multicarrier Code-Division Multiple-Access

In this contribution, we study a reduced-complexity multiuser detection aided multicarrier direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (MC DS-CDMA) scheme, which employs both time (T)-domain and frequency (F)-domain spreading. We investigate the achievable detection performance in the context of synchronous TF-domain spread MC DS-CDMA when communicating over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. Five detection schemes are investigated, which include the single-user correlation based detector, the joint TF-domain decorrelating multiuser detector (MUD), the joint TF-domain MMSEMUD, the separate TF-domain decorrelating/MMSE MUD, and the separate TF-domain MMSE/decorrelating MUD. Our simulation results show that the separate TF-domain MUD schemes are capable of achieving a similar bit error rate (BER) performance to that of the significantly more complex joint TF-domain MUD schemes. Index Terms—Code-division multiple-access (CDMA), decorrelating, frequency-domain spreading, joint detection, minimum mean square error (MMSE), multicarrier (MC), multiuser detection, separate detection, time-domain spreading

Time-Hopping Multicarrier Code-Division Multiple-Access

A time-hopping multicarrier code-division multiple-access (TH/MC-CDMA) scheme is proposed and investigated. In the proposed TH/MC-CDMA each information symbol is transmitted by a number of time-domain pulses with each time-domain pulse modulating a subcarrier. The transmitted information at the receiver is extracted from one of the, say $M$, possible time-slot positions, i.e., assuming that $M$-ary pulse position modulation is employed. Specifically, in this contribution we concentrate on the scenarios such as system design, power spectral density (PSD) and single-user based signal detection. The error performance of the TH/MC-CDMA system is investigated, when each subcarrier signal experiences flat Nakagami-$m$ fading in addition to additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). According to our analysis and results, it can be shown that the TH/MC-CDMA signal is capable of providing a near ideal PSD, which is flat over the system bandwidth available, while decreases rapidly beyond that bandwidth. Explicitly, signals having this type of PSD is beneficial to both broadband and ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) communications. Furthermore, our results show that, when optimum user address codes are employed, the single-user detector considered is near-far resistant, provided that the number of users supported by the system is lower than the number of subcarriers used for conveying an information symbol

Statistical Modeling of Bit-Error-Rates in Asynchronous Multicarrier CDMA and Direct-Sequence CDMA Systems

This paper presents a method for modeling the bit-error-rate (BER) probability density functions (pdf) of asynchronous Multicarrier Code Division Multiple Access (MC-CDMA) and Direct-Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) systems. An uplink channel is considered and it is assumed that the only channel distortion introduced by the channel is caused by the timing misalignments. Deterministic spreading sequences are used and the pdfs of each interferer'’s multiple access interference (MAI) are determined as a function of timing offset. A Nakagami-m distribution is fitted to the pdf of the total MAI power and the BER pdf is obtained directly from this Nakagami-m pdf. Both Walsh-Hadamard (WH) and Gold sequences are analyzed and the mean BERs are compared amongst the two multiple access systems for both sets of spreading sequences of varying lengths. The results suggest a higher resistance to MAI in the MC-CDMA technique for the considered environment

Layered Steered Space–Time-Spreading-Aided Generalized MC DS-CDMA

Abstract—We present a novel trifunctional multiple-input– multiple-output (MIMO) scheme that intrinsically amalgamates space–time spreading (STS) to achieve a diversity gain and a Vertical Bell Labs layered space–time (V-BLAST) scheme to attain a multiplexing gain in the context of generalized multicarrier direct-sequence code-division multiple access (MC DS-CDMA), as well as beamforming. Furthermore, the proposed system employs both time- and frequency-domain spreading to increase the number of users, which is also combined with a user-grouping technique to reduce the effects of multiuser interference

Downlink Steered Space-Time Spreading Assisted Generalised Multicarrier DS-CDMA Using Sphere-Packing-Aided Multilevel Coding

This paper presents a novel generalised Multi-Carrier Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (MC DS-CDMA) system invoking smart antennas for improving the achievable performance in the downlink, as well as employing multi-dimensional Sphere Packing (SP) modulation for increasing the achievable diversity product. In this contribution, the MC DS-CDMA transmitter considered employs multiple Antenna Arrays (AA) and each of the AAs consists of several antenna elements. Furthermore, the proposed system employs both time- and frequency- (TF) domain spreading for extending the achievable capacity, when combined with a novel user-grouping technique for reducing the effects of Multiuser Interference (MUI). Moreover, in order to further enhance the system’s performance, we invoke a MultiLevel Coding (MLC) scheme, whose component codes are determined using the so-called equivalent capacity based constituent-code rate-calculation procedure invoking a 4-dimensional bit-to-SP-symbol mapping scheme. Our results demonstrate an approximately 3.8 dB Eb/N0 gain over an identical throughput scheme dispensing with SP modulation at a BER of 10?5