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IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

Properties of Optimum Binary Message-Passing Decoders

Masoud Ardakani, Frank R. Kschischang

Published Sep 26, 2005• 14 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We consider a class of message-passing decoders for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes whose messages are binary valued. We prove that if the channel is symmetric and all codewords are equally likely to be transmitted, an optimum decoding rule (in the sense of minimizing message error rate) should satisfy certain symmetry and isotropy conditions. Using this result, we prove that Gallager's Algorithm B achieves the optimum decoding threshold among all binary message-passing decoding algorithms for regular codes. For irregular codes, we argue that when the nodes of the message-passing decoder do not exploit knowledge of their decoding neighborhood, optimality of Gallager's Algorithm B is preserved. We also consider the problem of designing irregular LDPC codes and find a bound on the achievable rates with Gallager's Algorithm B. Using this bound, we study the case of low error-rate channels and analytically find good degree distributions for them.

DOI
10.1109/tit.2005.855611

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We consider a class of message-passing decoders for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes whose messages are binary valued. We prove that if the channel is symmetric and all codewords are equally likely to be transmitted, an optimum decoding rule (in the sense of minimizing message error rate) should satisfy certain symmetry and isotropy conditions. Using this result, we prove that Gallager's Algorithm B achieves the optimum decoding threshold among all binary message-passing decoding algorithms for regular codes. For irregular codes, we argue that when the nodes of the message-passing decoder do not exploit knowledge of their decoding neighborhood, optimality of Gallager's Algorithm B is preserved. We also consider the problem of designing irregular LDPC codes and find a bound on the achievable rates with Gallager's Algorithm B. Using this bound, we study the case of low error-rate channels and analytically find good degree distributions for them.
This dissertation presents new methods for the analysis, design and decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. We start by studying the simplest class of decoders: the binary message-passing (BMP) decoders. We show that the optimum BMP decoder must satisfy certain symmetry and isotropy conditions, and prove that Gallager's Algorithm B is the optimum BMP algorithm. We use a generalization of extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts to formulate a linear program that leads to the design of highly efficient irregular LDPC codes for the BMP decoder. We extend this approach to the design of irregular LDPC codes for the additive white Gaussian noise channel. We introduce a "semi-Gaussian" approximation that very accurately predicts the behaviour of the decoder and permits code design over a wider range of rates and code parameters than in previous approaches. We then study the EXIT chart properties of the highest rate LDPC code which guarantees a certain convergence behaviour. We also introduce and analyze gear-shift decoding in which the decoder is permitted to select the decoding rule from among a predefined set. We show that this flexibility can give rise to significant reductions in decoding complexity. Finally, we show that binary LDPC codes can be combined with quadrature amplitude modulation to achieve near-capacity performance in a multitone system over frequency selective Gaussian channels.
This work presents a detailed study of a family of binary message-passing decoding algorithms for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, referred to as "majority-based algorithms." Both Gallager's algorithm A (G/sub A/) and the standard majority decoding algorithm belong to this family. These algorithms, which are, in fact, the building blocks of Gallager's algorithm B (G/sub B/), work based on a generalized majority-decision rule and are particularly attractive for their remarkably simple implementation. We investigate the dynamics of these algorithms using density evolution and compute their (noise) threshold values for regular LDPC codes over the binary symmetric channel. For certain ensembles of codes and certain orders of majority-based algorithms, we show that the threshold value can be characterized as the smallest positive root of a polynomial, and thus can be determined analytically. We also study the convergence properties of majority-based algorithms, including their (convergence) speed. Our analysis shows that the stand-alone version of some of these algorithms provides significantly better performance and/or convergence speed compared with G/sub A/. In particular, it is shown that for channel parameters below threshold, while for G/sub A/ the error probability converges to zero exponentially with iteration number, this convergence for other majority-based algorithms is super-exponential.
We consider Gallager's (1963) soft-decoding (belief propagation) algorithm for decoding low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, when applied to an arbitrary binary-input symmetric-output channel. By considering the expected values of the messages, we derive both lower and upper bounds on the performance of the algorithm. We also derive various properties of the decoding algorithm, such as a certain robustness to the details of the channel noise. Our results apply both to regular and irregular LDPC codes.
We consider Gallager's (1963) soft decoding (belief propagation) algorithm for decoding low density parity check (LDPC) codes, when applied to an arbitrary binary-input symmetric-output channel. By considering the expected values of the messages, we derive both lower and upper bounds on the performance of the algorithm. We also derive various properties of the decoding algorithm, such as robustness to the initial values of the messages. Our results apply both to regular and irregular LDPC codes.
Time-invariant hybrid (HscrTI) decoding of irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes is studied. Focusing on HscrTIalgorithms with majority-based (MB) binary message-passing constituents, we use density evolution (DE) and finite-length simulation to analyze the performance and the convergence properties of these algorithms over (memoryless) binary symmetric channels. To apply DE, we generalize degree distributions to have the irregularity of both the code and the decoding algorithm embedded in them. A tight upper bound on the threshold of MB HscrTIalgorithms is derived, and it is proven that the asymptotic error probability for these algorithms tends to zero, at least exponentially, with the number of iterations. We devise optimal MB HscrTIalgorithms for irregular LDPC codes, and show that these algorithms outperform Gallager's algorithm A applied to optimized irregular LDPC codes. We also show that compared to switch-type algorithms, such as Gallager's algorithm B, where a comparable improvement is obtained by switching between different MB algorithms, MB HscrTIalgorithms are more robust and can better cope with unknown channel conditions, and thus can be practically more attractive.
Time-invariant hybrid (HTI) decoding of irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes is studied. Focusing on HTIalgorithms with majority-based (MB) binary message-passing constituents, we use density evolution and finite-length simulation to analyze the performance and the convergence properties of these algorithms. Tight upper bounds on the threshold of MB HTIalgorithms are derived, and it is proven that the asymptotic error probability for these algorithms tends to zero at least exponentially with the number of iterations. We devise optimal MB HTIalgorithms for irregular LDPC codes, and show that these algorithms outperform Gallager's algorithm A applied to optimized irregular LDPC codes. We also show that compared to switch-type algorithms, such as Gallager's algorithm B, where a comparable improvement is obtained by switching between different MB algorithms, MB HTIalgorithms are more robust, and can better cope with unknown channel conditions, and thus can be practically more attractive