A design of robust error-correcting codes that achieve reliable communication over various channels is of great theoretical and practical interest. Such codes are termed universal. This paper considers the universality of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles over families of memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels. Universality is considered both under belief-propagation (BP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding. For the BP decoding case, we derive a density-evolution-based analytical method for designing LDPC code ensembles that are universal over various families of MBIOS channels. We also derive a necessary condition for universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding; this condition is used to provide bounds on the universally achievable fraction of capacity. These results enable us to provide conditions for reliable/unreliable communications under BP decoding that are based on the Bhattacharyya parameter of the channel. For the ML decoding case, we prove that properly selected regular LDPC code ensembles are universally capacity-achieving for the set of equi-capacity MBIOS channels and extend this result to punctured regular LDPC code ensembles.
A design of robust error-correcting codes that achieve reliable communication over various channels is of great theoretical and practical interest. Such codes are termed universal. This paper considers the universality of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles over families of memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels. Universality is considered both under belief-propagation (BP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding. For the BP decoding case, we derive a density-evolution-based analytical method for designing LDPC code ensembles that are universal over various families of MBIOS channels. We also derive a necessary condition for universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding; this condition is used to provide bounds on the universally achievable fraction of capacity. These results enable us to provide conditions for reliable/unreliable communications under BP decoding that are based on the Bhattacharyya parameter of the channel. For the ML decoding case, we prove that properly selected regular LDPC code ensembles are universally capacity-achieving for the set of equi-capacity MBIOS channels and extend this result to punctured regular LDPC code ensembles.
A design of robust error-correcting codes that achieve reli able communication over various channels is of great theoretical and practical interest. Such codes are termed universal. This paper considers the universality of lowdensity parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles over families of memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels. Universality is considered both under belief-pr opagation (BP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding. For the BP decoding case, we derive a density-evolution-based analytical method for designing LDPC code ensembles that are universal over various families of MBIOS channels. We also derive a necessary condition for universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding; this condition is used to provide bounds on the universally achievable fraction of capacity. These results enable us to provide conditions for reliable / unreliable communications under BP decoding that are based on the Bhattacharyya parameter of the channel. For the ML decoding case, we prove that properly selected regular LDPC code ensembles are universally capacity-achieving for the set of equicapacity MBIOS channels and extend this result to punctured regular LDPC code ensembles. Index Terms Belief propagation (BP), Bhattacharyya parameter (B-parameter), density evolution (DE), linear programming (LP) bounds, low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, maximum-likelihood (ML), memoryless binary-input outputsymmetric (MBIOS) channels, stability.
A universal design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles which enables to operate reliably over various channels is of great interest. This paper considers the universality of LDPC code ensembles over sets of memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels, addressing their universality under belief-propagation (BP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding. Based on the density evolution approach, closed-form, easy-to-calculate, analytical results related to the universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding are derived. LP Bounds on the achievable rate of LDPC code ensembles over a set of equi-capacity channels are also derived. This paper considers the universality under ML decoding of properly selected regular LDPC code ensembles for the set of equi-capacity MBIOS channels. The full paper version related to this work [13] provides further results, full proofs, and additional discussions on the theorems.
A universal design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles which enables to operate reliably over various channels is of great theoretical and practical interest. This paper considers the universality of LDPC code ensembles over multitude memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels, addressing their universality under belief-propagation (BP) decoding. Based on the density evolution approach, analytical results related to the universality of LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding are derived; these results are expressed in closed form, and are easy to calculate. The full paper version related to this work provides further results, full proofs, additional discussions on the theorems, and it also considers the universality issue under ML decoding.
This paper is focused on the derivation of some universal properties of capacity-approaching low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles whose transmission takes place over memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channels. Properties of the degree distributions, graphical complexity, and the number of fundamental cycles in the bipartite graphs are considered via the derivation of information-theoretic bounds. These bounds are expressed in terms of the target block/bit error probability and the gap (in rate) to capacity. Most of the bounds are general for any decoding algorithm, and some others are proved under belief propagation (BP) decoding. Proving these bounds under a certain decoding algorithm, validates them automatically also under any suboptimal decoding algorithm. A proper modification of these bounds makes them universal for the set of all MBIOS channels which exhibit a given capacity. Bounds on the degree distributions and graphical complexity apply to finite-length LDPC codes and to the asymptotic case of an infinite block length. The bounds are compared with capacity-approaching LDPC code ensembles under BP decoding, and they are shown to be informative and are easy to calculate. Finally, some interesting open problems are considered.
In the past decade, there has been tremendous amount of research on the analysis and design of the Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes with belief propagation decoding over different types of Binary-Input Output-Symmetric Memoryless (BIOSM) channels. However, with the exception of the Binary Erasure Channel (BEC), analytical results on LDPC codes over such channels are limited and most results are based on numerical methods and optimization. In particular, systematic design of provably capacity achieving sequences of LDPC code ensembles over general class of BIOSM channels has remained a fundamental open problem. Such sequences have been designed only for the binary erasure channel (BEC). In this paper, we first prove some novel analytical properties of the LDPC code ensembles over BIOSM channels. In particular, we prove a result that generalizes the previously known stability condition over symmetric channels. This suggests that a modified version of the flatness condition, a property which has been shown to be critical for capacity achieving sequences over the BEC, can be used to devise capacity achieving sequences for general class of BIOSM channels. Based on this assumption, we propose a method which could result in the systematic design of such sequences over BIOSM channels. Numerical evidence is promising and provides a consistent convergence behavior to capacity over the considered BIOSM channels as the average check node degree increases.
This paper provides some universal information-theoretic bounds related to the degree distributions and the average cardinality of the fundamental system of cycles of low-density parity-check (LDPC) ensembles. The transmission of these ensembles is assumed to take place over an arbitrary memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS) channel, and the bounds are expressed in terms of the gap between the design rates of these ensembles and the channel capacity. Some of these bounds hold under maximum-likelihood decoding (and hence, they also hold under any sub-optimal decoding algorithm) whereas the others hold particularly under the sum-product iterative decoding algorithm. The tightness of some of these bounds is exemplified numerically for capacity-approaching LDPC ensembles under iterative decoding; the bounds are reasonably tight for general MBIOS channels, and are tightened for the binary erasure channel where the tightness in the latter case is also demonstrated analytically.