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arXiv:2410.19242 · IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT)

On the Weight Spectrum of Rate-Compatible Polar Codes

Zicheng Ye, Yuan Li, Zhichao Liu, Huazi Zhang, Jun Wang, Guiying Yan, Zhi-Ming Ma

Published Jun 22, 2025• 1 citation
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Abstract

The weight spectrum plays a crucial role in the performance of error-correcting codes. Despite substantial theoretical exploration into polar codes with mother code length, a framework for the weight spectrum of rate-compatible polar codes remains elusive. In this paper, we address this gap by enumerating the number of minimum-weight codewords for quasi-uniform punctured, Wang-Liu shortened, and bit-reversal shortened decreasing polar codes. Notably, our algorithms operate with polynomial complexity relative to the code length. Simulation results affirm that our discoveries provide an accurate approximation on the performance of rate-compatible polar codes.

DOI
10.1109/isit63088.2025.11195370

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The weight spectrum plays a crucial role in the performance of error-correcting codes. Despite substantial theoretical exploration into polar codes with mother code length, a framework for the weight spectrum of rate-compatible polar codes remains elusive. In this paper, we address this gap by enumerating the number of minimum-weight codewords for quasi-uniform punctured, Wang-Liu shortened, and bit-reversal shortened decreasing polar codes. Notably, our algorithms operate with polynomial complexity relative to the code length. Simulation results affirm that our discoveries provide an accurate approximation on the performance of rate-compatible polar codes.
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On the Weight Distribution of Weights Less than 2wmin⁡2w_{\min}2wmin​ in Polar Codes
The number of low-weight codewords is critical to the performance of error-correcting codes. In 1970, Kasami and Tokura characterized the codewords of Reed-Muller (RM) codes whose weights are less than 2wmin⁡2w_{\min}2wmin​, where wmin⁡w_{\min}wmin​ represents the minimum weight. In this paper, we extend their results to decreasing polar codes. We present the closed-form expressions for the number of codewords in decreasing polar codes with weights less than 2wmin⁡2w_{\min}2wmin​. Moreover, the proposed enumeration algorithm runs in polynomial time with respect to the code length.
The number of low-weight codewords is critical to the performance of error-correcting codes. In 1970, Kasami and Tokura characterized the codewords of Reed-Muller (RM) codes whose weights are less than 2wmin, wherewminrepresents the minimum weight. In this paper, we extend their results to decreasing polar codes. We present the closed-form expressions for the number of codewords in decreasing polar codes with weights less than 2wmin. Moreover, the proposed enumeration algorithm runs in polynomial time with respect to the code length.
In this paper, we present a deterministic algorithm to count the low-weight codewords of punctured and shortened pure and pre-transformed polar codes. The method first evaluates the weight properties of punctured/shortened polar cosets. Then, a method that discards the cosets that have no impact on the computation of the low-weight codewords is introduced. A key advantage of this method is its applicability, regardless of the frozen bit set, puncturing/shortening pattern, or pre-transformation. Results confirm the method’s efficiency while showing reduced computational complexity compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.
The minimum Hamming distance of a linear block code is the smallest number of bit changes required to transform one valid codeword into another. The code’s minimum distance determines the code’s error-correcting capabilities. Furthermore, The number of minimum weight codewords, a.k.a. error coefficient, gives a good comparative measure for the block error rate (BLER) of linear block codes with identical minimum distance, in particular at a high SNR regime under maximum likelihood (ML) decoding. A code with a smaller error coefficient would give a lower BLER. Unlike polar codes, a closed-form expression for the enumeration of the error coefficient of polarization-adjusted convolutional (PAC) codes is yet unknown. As PAC codes are convolutionally pre-transformed polar codes, we study the impact of pre-transformation on polar codes in terms of minimum Hamming distance and error coefficient by partitioning the codewords into cosets. We show that the minimum distance of PAC codes does not decrease; however, the pre-transformation may reduce the error coefficient depending on the choice of convolutional polynomial. We recognize the properties of the cosets where pre-transformation is ineffective in decreasing the error coefficient, giving a lower bound for the error coefficient. Then, we propose a low-complexity enumeration method that determines the number of minimum weight codewords of PAC codes relying on the error coefficient of polar codes. That is, given the error coefficient Awmin of polar codes, we determine the reduction X in the error coefficient due to convolutional pre-transformation in PAC coding and subtract it from the error coefficient of polar codes, Awmin - X. Furthermore, we numerically analyze the tightness of the lower bound and the impact of the choice of the convolutional polynomial on the error coefficient based on the sub-patterns in the polynomial’s coefficients. Eventually, we show how we can further reduce the error coefficient in the cosets.
The number of minimum weight codewords, a.k.a error coefficient, is a good comparative measure for the block error rate (BLER) of a linear block code, in particular in a high SNR regime. The smaller the error coefficient, the lower the BLER. Unlike polar codes, the error coefficient of polarization-adjusted convolutional (PAC) codes cannot be determined easily due to the precoding stage. In this work, we propose an enumeration method that considers the impact of convolutional precoding on the minimum weight codewords of polar codes. This relative enumeration method simplifies the process significantly compared with conventional methods as the complexity analysis shows.