Error Exponents for Variable-length Block Codes with Feedback and Cost Constraints

Variable-length block-coding schemes are investigated for discrete memoryless channels with ideal feedback under cost constraints. Upper and lower bounds are found for the minimum achievable probability of decoding error $P_{e,\min}$ as a function of constraints R, \AV, and $\bar \tau$ on the transmission rate, average cost, and average block length respectively. For given $R$ and \AV, the lower and upper bounds to the exponent $-(\ln P_{e,\min})/\bar \tau$ are asymptotically equal as $\bar \tau \to \infty$. The resulting reliability function, $\lim_{\bar \tau\to \infty} (-\ln P_{e,\min})/\bar \tau$, as a function of $R$ and \AV, is concave in the pair (R, \AV) and generalizes the linear reliability function of Burnashev to include cost constraints. The results are generalized to a class of discrete-time memoryless channels with arbitrary alphabets, including additive Gaussian noise channels with amplitude and power constraints

Quantum Belief Propagation

We present an accurate numerical algorithm, called quantum belief propagation (QBP), for simulation of one-dimensional quantum systems at non-zero temperature. The algorithm exploits the fact that quantum effects are short-range in these systems at non-zero temperature, decaying on a length scale inversely proportional to the temperature. We compare to exact results on a spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain. Even a very modest calculation, requiring diagonalizing only 10-by-10 matrices, reproduces the peak susceptibility with a relative error of less than $10^{-5}$, while more elaborate calculations further reduce the error.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; revised time estimates due to improved implementation. Typographical corrections to Eq. 7 made; thanks to David Poulin for pointing out the mistak

Classical capacity of bosonic broadcast communication and a new minimum output entropy conjecture

Previous work on the classical information capacities of bosonic channels has established the capacity of the single-user pure-loss channel, bounded the capacity of the single-user thermal-noise channel, and bounded the capacity region of the multiple-access channel. The latter is a multi-user scenario in which several transmitters seek to simultaneously and independently communicate to a single receiver. We study the capacity region of the bosonic broadcast channel, in which a single transmitter seeks to simultaneously and independently communicate to two different receivers. It is known that the tightest available lower bound on the capacity of the single-user thermal-noise channel is that channel's capacity if, as conjectured, the minimum von Neumann entropy at the output of a bosonic channel with additive thermal noise occurs for coherent-state inputs. Evidence in support of this minimum output entropy conjecture has been accumulated, but a rigorous proof has not been obtained. In this paper, we propose a new minimum output entropy conjecture that, if proved to be correct, will establish that the capacity region of the bosonic broadcast channel equals the inner bound achieved using a coherent-state encoding and optimum detection. We provide some evidence that supports this new conjecture, but again a full proof is not available.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Processing and Transmission of Information

Contains reports on two research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant GP-2495)National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-04)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-334)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496

Processing and Transmission of Information

Contains reports on two research projects

Loop Calculus in Statistical Physics and Information Science

Considering a discrete and finite statistical model of a general position we introduce an exact expression for the partition function in terms of a finite series. The leading term in the series is the Bethe-Peierls (Belief Propagation)-BP contribution, the rest are expressed as loop-contributions on the factor graph and calculated directly using the BP solution. The series unveils a small parameter that often makes the BP approximation so successful. Applications of the loop calculus in statistical physics and information science are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Phys.Rev.Lett. Changes: More general model, Simpler derivatio

Memory effects in attenuation and amplification quantum processes

With increasing communication rates via quantum channels, memory effects become unavoidable whenever the use rate of the channel is comparable to the typical relaxation time of the channel environment. We introduce a model of a bosonic memory channel, describing correlated noise effects in quantum-optical processes via attenuating or amplifying media. To study such a channel model, we make use of a proper set of collective field variables, which allows us to unravel the memory effects, mapping the n-fold concatenation of the memory channel to a unitarily equivalent, direct product of n single-mode bosonic channels. We hence estimate the channel capacities by relying on known results for the memoryless setting. Our findings show that the model is characterized by two different regimes, in which the cross correlations induced by the noise among different channel uses are either exponentially enhanced or exponentially reduced.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, close to the published versio

Finite-Connectivity Spin-Glass Phase Diagrams and Low Density Parity Check Codes

We obtain phase diagrams of regular and irregular finite connectivity spin-glasses. Contact is firstly established between properties of the phase diagram and the performances of low density parity check codes (LDPC) within the Replica Symmetric (RS) ansatz. We then study the location of the dynamical and critical transition of these systems within the one step Replica Symmetry Breaking theory (RSB), extending similar calculations that have been performed in the past for the Bethe spin-glass problem. We observe that, away from the Nishimori line, in the low temperature region, the location of the dynamical transition line does change within the RSB theory, in comparison with the (RS) case. For LDPC decoding over the binary erasure channel we find, at zero temperature and rate R=1/4 an RS critical transition point located at p_c = 0.67 while the critical RSB transition point is located at p_c = 0.7450, to be compared with the corresponding Shannon bound 1-R. For the binary symmetric channel (BSC) we show that the low temperature reentrant behavior of the dynamical transition line, observed within the RS ansatz, changes within the RSB theory; the location of the dynamical transition point occurring at higher values of the channel noise. Possible practical implications to improve the performances of the state-of-the-art error correcting codes are discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figure

Small-world hypergraphs on a bond-disordered Bethe lattice

We study the thermodynamic properties of spin systems with bond-disorder on small-world hypergraphs, obtained by superimposing a one-dimensional Ising chain onto a random Bethe graph with p-spin interactions. Using transfer-matrix techniques, we derive fixed-point equations describing the relevant order parameters and the free energy, both in the replica symmetric and one step replica symmetry breaking approximation. We determine the static and dynamic ferromagnetic transition and the spinglass transition within replica symmetry for all temperatures, and demonstrate corrections to these results when one step replica symmetry breaking is taken into account. The results obtained are in agreement with Monte-Carlo simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Optimal ratio between phase basis and bit basis in QKD

In the original BB84 protocol, the bit basis and the phase basis are used with equal probability. Lo et al (J. of Cryptology, 18, 133-165 (2005)) proposed to modify the ratio between the two bases by increasing the final key generation rate. However, the optimum ratio has not been derived. In this letter, in order to examine this problem, the ratio between the two bases is optimized for exponential constraints given Eve's information distinguishability and the final error probability