The average Hamming weight spectrum function of the random ensemble of regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over GF(2/sup b/) when used with binary-input channels is derived. This work confirms theoretically that the near-Shannon-limit performance of Gallager's binary LDPC codes can be significantly enhanced by moving to fields of higher order. We construct a family of error-correcting codes based on the binary representation of GF(2/sup b/) codes defined on a cycle Tanner graph, that appears to be good for both optimum decoding and iterative decoding over binary-input channels.
The average Hamming weight spectrum function of the random ensemble of regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over GF(2/sup b/) when used with binary-input channels is derived. This work confirms theoretically that the near-Shannon-limit performance of Gallager's binary LDPC codes can be significantly enhanced by moving to fields of higher order. We construct a family of error-correcting codes based on the binary representation of GF(2/sup b/) codes defined on a cycle Tanner graph, that appears to be good for both optimum decoding and iterative decoding over binary-input channels.
We derive the average symbol and Hamming weight spectrum functions of the random ensemble of regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over GF(2/sup b/) when used with the binary-input noisy channel. This work confirms theoretically that the near-Shannon-limit performance of Gallager's binary LDPC codes can be significantly enhanced by moving to fields of higher order. We construct a family of error-correcting codes based on the binary representation of GF(2/sup b/) codes defined on a cycle Tanner graph that appears to be "good" for both optimum and iterative decoding over the binary-input noisy channel. In particular, we report a short-block-length (1008 bits), rate-1/2 progressive-edge-growth-based cycle Tanner-graph code over GF(2/sup b/) with a block-error rate <10/sup -4/ at E/sub b//N/sub 0/=1.89 dB, which appears to exhibit the best iterative-decoding performance at this short block length known to date.
Binary low density parity check (LDPC) codes have been shown to have near Shannon limit performance when decoded using a probabilistic decoding algorithm. The analogous codes defined over finite fields GF(q) of order q>2 show significantly improved performance. We present the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the decoding of infinite LDPC codes which can be used to obtain good constructions for finite codes. We also present empirical results for the Gaussian channel including a rate 1/4 code with bit error probability of 10/sup -4/ at E/sub b//N/sub 0/=-0.05 dB.
This dissertation presents a systematic exposition on finite-block-length coding theory and practice. We begin with the task of identifying the maximum achievable rates over noisy, finite-block-length constrained channels, referred to as (ε, n)-capacity Cεn, with ε denoting target block-error probability and n the block length. We characterize how the optimum codes look like over finite-block-length constrained channels. Constructing good, short-block-length error-correcting codes defined on sparse graphs is the focus of the thesis. We propose a new, general method for constructing Tanner graphs having a large girth by progressively establishing edges or connections between symbol and check nodes in an edge-by-edge manner, called progressive edge-growth (PEG) construction. Lower bounds on the girth of PEG Tanner graphs and on the minimum distance of the resulting low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are derived in terms of parameters of the graphs. The PEG construction attains essentially the same girth as Gallager's explicit construction for regular graphs, both of which meet or exceed an extension of the Erdös-Sachs bound. The PEG construction proves to be powerful for generating good, short-block-length binary LDPC codes. Furthermore, we show that the binary interpretation of GF(2b) codes on the cycle Tanner graph TG(2, dc), if b grows sufficiently large, can be used over the binary-input additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel as "good code for optimum decoding" and "good code for iterative decoding". Codes on sparse graphs are often decoded iteratively by a sum-product algorithm (SPA) with low complexity. We investigate efficient digital implementations of the SPA for decoding binary LDPC codes from both the architectural and algorithmic point of view, and describe new reduced-complexity derivatives thereof. The unified treatment of decoding techniques for LDPC codes provides flexibility in selecting the appropriate design point in high-speed applications from a performance, latency, and computational complexity perspective.
Gallager's (1962) low-density binary parity check codes have been shown to have near-Shannon limit performance when decoded using a probabilistic decoding algorithm. We report the empirical results of error-correction using the analogous codes over GF(q) for q>2, with binary symmetric channels and binary Gaussian channels. We find a significant improvement over the performance of the binary codes, including a rate 1/4 code with bit error probability <10/sup -5/ at E/sub b//N/sub 0/=0.2 dB.
Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are a class of linear block codes with implementable decoders, which provide near-capacity performance on a large set of data-transmission and data-storage channels. LDPC codes were invented by Gallager in his 1960 doctoral dissertation and were mostly ignored during the 35 years that followed. One notable exception is the important work of Tanner in 1981, in which Tanner generalized LDPC codes and introduced a graphical representation of LDPC codes, now called a Tanner graph. The study of LDPC codes was resurrected in the mid 1990s with the work of MacKay, Luby, and others [3–6], who noticed, apparently independently of Gallager's work, the advantages of linear block codes with sparse (low-density) parity-check matrices. This chapter introduces LDPC codes and creates a foundation for further study of LDPC codes in later chapters. We start with the fundamental representations of LDPC codes via parity-check matrices and Tanner graphs. We then learn about the decoding advantages of linear codes that possess sparse parity-check matrices. We will see that this sparseness characteristic makes the code amenable to various iterative decoding algorithms, which in many instances provide near optimal performance. Gallager of course recognized the decoding advantages of such low-density parity-check codes and he proposed a decoding algorithm for the BI-AWGNC and a few others for the BSC. These algorithms have received much scrutiny in the past decade, and are still being studied.
Ever since the publication of Shannon's seminal work in 1948, the search for capacity achieving codes has led to many interesting discoveries in channel coding theory. Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes originally proposed in 1963 were largely forgotten and rediscovered recently. The significance of LDPC codes lies in their capacity approaching performance even when decoded using low complexity sub-optimal decoding algorithms. Iterative decoders are one such class of decoders that work on a graphical representation of a code known as the Tanner graph. Their properties have been well understood in the asymptotic limit of the code length going to infinity. However, the behavior of various decoders for a given finite length code remains largely unknown.An understanding of the failures of the decoders is vital for the error floor analysis of a given code. Broadly speaking, error floor is the abrupt degradation in the frame error rate (FER) performance of a code in the high signal-to-noise ratio domain. Since the error floor phenomenon manifests in the regions not reachable by Monte-Carlo simulations, analytical methods are necessary for characterizing the decoding failures. In this work, we consider hard decision decoders for transmission over the binary symmetric channel (BSC).For column-weight-three codes, we provide tight upper and lower bounds on the guaranteed error correction capability of a code under the Gallager A algorithm by studying combinatorial objects known as trapping sets. For higher column weight codes, we establish bounds on the minimum number of variable nodes that achieve certain expansion as a function of the girth of the underlying Tanner graph, thereby obtaining lower bounds on the guaranteed error correction capability. We explore the relationship between a class of graphs known as cage graphs and trapping sets to establish upper bounds on the error correction capability.We also propose an algorithm to identify the most probable noise configurations, also known as instantons, that lead to error floor for linear programming (LP) decoding over the BSC. With the insight gained from the above analysis techniques, we propose novel code construction techniques that result in codes with superior error floor performance.