Comments on "Exact error-rate analysis of diversity 16-QAM with channel-estimation Error"

Recently, Cao and Beaulieu presented an insightful analysis on the bit-error performance of 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) scheme on Rayleigh fading channels with maximal ratio combining diversity and channel estimation errors. Unfortunately, although exact, the results presented in that paper are based on a complicated parabolic cylinder function, and a two-dimensional numerical integration has to be performed to evaluate the average probability of bit error. In this letter, we present a surprisingly simple expression for the average probability of error in a well-known closed form. We point out that the error rates for any N-ary square/rectangular QAM constellation with Gray mapping can also be expressed in this form. Furthermore, we show that the presented results can also be modified, in a simple fashion, for a generalized selection combining scheme in the presence of channel estimation errors.     

Performance Analysis of Optimum and Suboptimum Selection Diversity Schemes on Rayleigh Fading Channels With Imperfect Channel Estimates

In this paper, we present a comparative analysis on the effects of channel estimation errors on the performance of optimum and suboptimum selection diversity (SD) receivers on Rayleigh-fading channels. By modeling the estimation errors as independent complex Gaussian random variables, we derive simple closed-form expressions for the average probability of error for both optimum and suboptimum SD schemes with noisy channel estimates. With dual diversity and imperfect estimates, we establish a connection between optimum SD and maximal-ratio combining (MRC), and between suboptimum SD and equal-gain combining diversity schemes. Interestingly, we show that the optimum SD receiver structure and the resulting performance for differential binary coherent phase-shift keying (DBPSK) signaling can be obtained, in a straightforward way, as a special case of the performance of the optimum SD scheme with binary PSK signaling and channel estimation errors. For a fixed average power and bit duration, in conjunction with pilot-assisted minimum mean-square error channel estimation, we show that the optimum coherent SD scheme coincides with that of the optimum noncoherent SD scheme with binary frequency-shift keying (BFSK) signaling, whereas the coherent MRC scheme coincides with the optimum noncoherent receiver (i.e., the square-law combiner) for BFSK. The optimum number of diversity channels, under an energy-sharing mode of operation, is also studied. Finally, we formulate the problem of optimal pilot placement, consider channel estimation with a practical pilot-symbol-assisted modulation technique, and present some numerical results illustrating the comparative performances of various SD receivers     

On the optimality of bit detection of certain digital modulations

In this paper, we study the optimality of bit detection for coherent M-ary phase-shift keying (PSK) and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and noncoherent M-ary frequency-shift keying (FSK) signal sets. For M-PSK and M-QAM signal constellations, we employ Gray mapping, consider 8-PSK and 16-QAM signal sets as representative of the general results, and derive the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each bit forming the symbol. Using the LLRs, we derive the average bit-error probability (BEP) for the individual bits, and show that the decision regions and the corresponding average BEP for the case of M-PSK coincide with those obtained with the optimal symbol-based detector, whereas, in general, this is not the case for both M-QAM and M-FSK.     

BER-Optimal Linear Parallel Interference Cancellation for Multicarrier DS-CDMA in Rayleigh Fading

In this paper, we consider the design and bit-error performance analysis of linear parallel interference cancellers (LPIC) for multicarrier (MC) direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems. We propose an LPIC scheme where we estimate and cancel the multiple access interference (MAI) based on the soft decision outputs on individual subcarriers, and the interference cancelled outputs on different subcarriers are combined to form the final decision statistic. We scale the MAI estimate on individual subcarriers by a weight before cancellation. In order to choose these weights optimally, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the bit-error rate (BER) at the output of different stages of the LPIC, which we minimize to obtain the optimum weights for the different stages. In addition, using an alternate approach involving the characteristic function of the decision variable, we derive BER expressions for the weighted LPIC scheme, matched filter (MF) detector, decorrelating detector, and minimum mean square error (MMSE) detector for the considered multicarrier DS-CDMA system. We show that the proposed BER-optimized weighted LPIC scheme performs better than the MF detector and the conventional LPIC scheme (where the weights are taken to be unity), and close to the decorrelating and MMSE detectors.     

BER analysis of QAM on fading channels with transmit diversity

In this letter, we derive analytical expressions for the bit error rate (BER) of space-time block codes (STBC) from complex orthogonal designs (COD) using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) on Rayleigh fading channels. We take a bit log-likelihood ratio (LLR) based approach to derive the BER expressions. The approach presented here can be used in the BER analysis of any STBC from COD with linear processing for any value of M in an M-QAM system. Here, we present the BER analysis and results for a 16-QAM system with i) (2-Tx, L-Rx) antennas using Alamouti code (rate-1 STBC), ii) (3-Tx, L-Rx) antennas using a rate-1/2 STBC, and iii) (5-Tx, L-Rx) antennas using a rate-7/11 STBC. In addition to being used in the BER analysis, the LLRs derived can also be used as soft inputs to decoders for various coded QAM schemes, including turbo coded QAM with space-time coding as in high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) in 3G.     

On source coding, channel coding and spreading tradeoffs in a DS-CDMA system operating over frequency selective fading channels with narrowband interference

For a fixed total bandwidth expansion factor, we consider the problem of optimal bandwidth allocation among the source coder, the channel coder, and the spread-spectrum unit for a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access system operating over a frequency-selective fading channel with narrowband interference. Assuming a Gaussian source with the optimum scalar quantizer, and a binary convolutional code with soft-decision decoding, and further assuming that the self-interference is negligible, we obtain both a lower and an upper bound on the end-to-end average source distortion. The joint three-way constrained optimization of the source code rate, the channel code rate, and the spreading factor can be simplified into an unconstrained optimization problem over two variables. Upon fixing the channel code rate, we show that both upper and lower bound-based distortion functions are convex functions of the source code rate. Because an explicit solution for the optimum source code rate, i.e., one that minimizes the average distortion, is difficult to obtain, computer-based search techniques are employed. Numerical results are presented for the optimum source code rate and spreading factor, parameterized by the channel code rate and code constraint length. The optimal bandwidth allocation, in general, depends on the system and the channel conditions, such as the total number of active users, the average jammer-to-signal power ratio, and the number of resolved multipath components together with their power delay profile.     

Performance analysis of coded communication systems on Nakagami fading channels with selection combining diversity

In this paper, we develop analytical tools for the performance analysis of coded, coherent communication systems on independent and identically distributed Nakagami-m fading channels with selection combining (SC) diversity. First, we derive an exact expression for the moment generation function (MGF) of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a code symbol at the output of the selection combiner. Next, based on Gauss-Chebyshev quadrature and Gauss-Laguerre quadrature rules, we propose a simple to compute, yet accurate, numerical solution for the pairwise error probability (PEP) of coded M-phase-shift keying (PSK) signals. Using the PEP expressions, we present the union bound-based bit-error performance of trellis-coded modulation schemes and turbo codes. Finally, we derive an exact expression for the computational cutoff rate of a coded system with M-PSK signaling and SC diversity, and show that the cutoff rate expression is a simple function of the MGF of the SNR at the output of the diversity combiner.     

Statistical channel knowledge-based optimum power allocation for relaying protocols in the high SNR regime

We are concerned with transmit power optimization in a wireless relay network with various cooperation protocols. With statistical channel knowledge (in the form of knowledge of the fading distribution and the path loss information across all the nodes) at the transmitters and perfect channel state information at the receivers, we derive the optimal power allocation that minimizes high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approximations of the outage probability of the mutual information (MI) with amplify-and-forward (AF), decode-and-forward (DF) and distributed space-time coded (DSTC) relaying protocols operating over Rayleigh fading channels. We demonstrate that the high SNR approximation-based outage probability expressions are convex functions of the transmit power vector, and the nature of the optimal power allocation depends on whether or not a direct link between the source and the destination exists. Interestingly, for AF and DF protocols, this allocation depends only on the ratio of mean channel power gains (i.e., the ratio of the source-relay gain to the relay-destination gain), whereas with a DSTC protocol this allocation also depends on the transmission rate when a direct link exists. In addition to the immediate benefits of improved outage behavior, our results show that optimal power allocation brings impressive coding gains over equal power allocation. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that the coding gain gap between the AF and DF protocols can also be reduced by the optimal power allocation     

A simple approach to error probability with binary signaling over generalized fading channels with maximal ratio combining and noisy channel estimates

In this letter, we study the performance of binary signaling on generalized fading channels with maximal ratio combining (MRC) and imperfect channel estimates. With the assumption of the channel estimate being corrupted by a complex Gaussian random variable, an expression for the average probability of error is provided in the form of a simple single integral which involves the moment generating function of the normalized signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the case of ideal MRC. Various examples are given to illustrate the usefulness of the derived expression under various fading conditions with different distributions, and with a possible correlation between the diversity branches.