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Advances in mathematical programming-based error-correction decoding

Michael Helmling

Published Jul 24, 2015• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The formulation of the decoding problem for linear block codes as an integer program (IP) with a rather tight linear programming (LP) relaxation has made a central part of channel coding accessible for the theory and methods of mathematical optimization, especially integer programming, polyhedral combinatorics and also algorithmic graph theory, since the important class of turbo codes exhibits an inherent graphical structure. We present several novel models, algorithms and theoretical results for error-correction decoding based on mathematical optimization. Our contribution includes a partly combinatorial LP decoder for turbo codes, a fast branch-and-cut algorithm for maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding of arbitrary binary linear codes, a theoretical analysis of the LP decoder's performance for 3-dimensional turbo codes, compact IP models for various heuristic algorithms as well as ML decoding in combination with higher-order modulation, and, finally, first steps towards an implementation of the LP decoder in specialized hardware. The scientific contributions are presented in the form of seven revised reprints of papers that appeared in peer-reviewed international journals or conference proceedings. They are accompanied by an extensive introductory part that reviews the basics of mathematical optimization, coding theory, and the previous results on LP decoding that we rely on afterwards.

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The formulation of the decoding problem for linear block codes as an integer program (IP) with a rather tight linear programming (LP) relaxation has made a central part of channel coding accessible for the theory and methods of mathematical optimization, especially integer programming, polyhedral combinatorics and also algorithmic graph theory, since the important class of turbo codes exhibits an inherent graphical structure. We present several novel models, algorithms and theoretical results for error-correction decoding based on mathematical optimization. Our contribution includes a partly combinatorial LP decoder for turbo codes, a fast branch-and-cut algorithm for maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding of arbitrary binary linear codes, a theoretical analysis of the LP decoder's performance for 3-dimensional turbo codes, compact IP models for various heuristic algorithms as well as ML decoding in combination with higher-order modulation, and, finally, first steps towards an implementation of the LP decoder in specialized hardware. The scientific contributions are presented in the form of seven revised reprints of papers that appeared in peer-reviewed international journals or conference proceedings. They are accompanied by an extensive introductory part that reviews the basics of mathematical optimization, coding theory, and the previous results on LP decoding that we rely on afterwards.
Abstract. Error-correcting codes are fundamental tools used to transmit digital infor-mation over unreliable channels. Their study goes back to the work of Hamming [Ham50] and Shannon [Sha48], who used them as the basis for the field of information theory. The problem of decoding the original information up to the full error-correcting potential of the system is often very complex, especially for modern codes that approach the theoretical limits of the communication channel. In this thesis we investigate the application of linear programming (LP) relaxation to the problem of decoding an error-correcting code. Linear programming relaxation is a standard technique in approximation algorithms and operations research, and is central to the study of efficient algorithms to find good (albeit suboptimal) solutions to very difficult optimization problems. Our new "LP decoders " have tight combinatorial characterizations of decoding success that can be used to analyze error-correcting performance. Furthermore, LP decoders have the desirable (and rare) property that whenever they output a result, it is guaranteed to be the optimal result: the most likely (ML) information sent over the channel. We refer to this property as the ML certificate property.
A new method is given for performing approximate maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding of an arbitrary binary linear code based on observations received from any discrete memoryless symmetric channel. The decoding algorithm is based on a linear programming (LP) relaxation that is defined by a factor graph or parity-check representation of the code. The resulting "LP decoder" generalizes our previous work on turbo-like codes. A precise combinatorial characterization of when the LP decoder succeeds is provided, based on pseudocodewords associated with the factor graph. Our definition of a pseudocodeword unifies other such notions known for iterative algorithms, including "stopping sets," "irreducible closed walks," "trellis cycles," "deviation sets," and "graph covers." The fractional distance d/sub frac/ of a code is introduced, which is a lower bound on the classical distance. It is shown that the efficient LP decoder will correct up to /spl lceil/d/sub frac//2/spl rceil/-1 errors and that there are codes with d/sub frac/=/spl Omega/(n/sup 1-/spl epsi//). An efficient algorithm to compute the fractional distance is presented. Experimental evidence shows a similar performance on low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes between LP decoding and the min-sum and sum-product algorithms. Methods for tightening the LP relaxation to improve performance are also provided.
This paper explores a mathematical optimization approach to error correction. Tanatmis et al. [2010] proposed an integer optimization formulation for the maximum likelihood decoding of binary linear codes. They developed a cutting plane algorithm in which valid inequalities for cutting off non-integral solutions are iteratively added to the continuous relaxation problem. By contrast, we focus on the integer optimization decoding; that is, we solve the integer optimization problem directly by using mathematical optimization software. We evaluate the computational performance of the integer optimization decoding and suggest its potential for practical use. The computational results demonstrate that in a lownoise condition, the integer optimization decoding achieved higher bit error rate performance than did the common sum-product decoding for low-density parity-check codes.
Abstract — Given a linear code and observations from a noisy channel, the decoding problem is to determine the most likely (ML) codeword. We describe a method for approximate ML decoding of an arbitrary binary linear code, based on a linear programming (LP) relaxation that is defined by a factor graph or parity check representation of the code. The resulting LP decoder, which generalizes our previous work on turbo-like codes [FK02, FWK02], has the ML certificate property: it either outputs the ML codeword with a guarantee of correctness, or acknowledges an error. We provide a precise characterization of when the LP decoder succeeds, based on the cost of pseudocodewords associated with the factor graph. We introduce the notion of the fractional distance δ of a code, defined with respect to a particular LP relaxation, and prove that the LP decoder will correct up to [δ/2] − 1 errors. For the BEC, we prove that the performance of LP decoding is equivalent to standard iterative decoding. I.
Decoding error-correctiong codes by methods of mathematical optimization, most importantly linear programming, has become an important alternative approach to both algebraic and iterative decoding methods since its introduction by Feldman et al. At first celebrated mainly for its analytical powers, real-world applications of LP decoding are now within reach thanks to most recent research. This document gives an elaborate introduction into both mathematical optimization and coding theory as well as a review of the contributions by which these two areas have found common ground.
Maximum Likelihood (ML) decoding is the optimal decoding algorithm for arbitrary linear block codes and can be written as an Integer Programming (IP) problem. Feldman et al. relaxed this IP problem and presented Linear Programming (LP) based decoding algorithm for linear block codes. In this paper, we propose a new IP formulation of the ML decoding problem and solve the IP with generic methods. The formulation uses indicator variables to detect violated parity checks. We derive Gomory cuts from our formulation and use them in a separation algorithm to find ML codewords. We further propose an efficient method of finding cuts induced by redundant parity checks (RPC). Under certain circumstances we can guarantee that these RPC cuts are valid and cut off the fractional optimal solutions of LP decoding. We demonstrate on two LDPC codes and one BCH code that our separation algorithm performs significantly better than LP decoding.