Improved Robust Techniques for Multiuser Detection in Non-Gaussian Channels

In many physical channels where multiuser detection techniques are to be applied, the ambient channel noise is known through experimental measurements to be decidedly non-Gaussian, due largely to impulsive phenomena. This is due to the impulsive nature of man-made electromagnetic interference and a great deal of natural noise. This paper presents a robust multiuser detector for combating multiple access interference and impulsive noise in code division multiple access (CDMA) communication systems. A new M-estimator is proposed for "robustifying" the detector. The approach is corroborated with simulation results to evaluate the performance of the proposed robust multiuser detector compared with that of the linear decorrelating detector, and the Huber and the Hampel M-estimator based detectors. Simulation results show that the proposed detector with significant performance gain outperforms the linear decorrelating detector, and the Huber and the Hampel M-estimator based detectors. This paper also presents an improved robust blind multiuser detection technique based on a subspace approach, which requires only the signature waveform and the timing of the desired user to demodulate that user's signal. Finally, we show that the robust multiuser detection technique and its blind adaptive version can be applied to both synchronous and asynchronous CDMA channels.