The capacity of a random-phase additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, referred to as noncoherent channel, is investigated in the case of a transmission of N information symbols. The non-Gaussianity of the capacity-achieving distribution is shown and a lower bound on the channel capacity is derived. For increasing values of the number of transmitted symbols N, the capacity of a noncoherent channel is shown to asymptotically approach that of a coherent channel, i.e., a known-phase AWGN channel. The asymptotical Gaussianity of the capacity-achieving distribution is also shown. Based on the derived lower bound, the inherent capacity loss of a noncoherent channel, as compared to a coherent one, may be considered very limited for all but very small values of N. This result may be viewed as the information theoretic counterpart of a similar conclusion derived by many authors with reference to the probability of detection error.

The capacity of the noncoherent channel / Colavolpe, Giulio; Raheli, Riccardo. - In: EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 1124-318X. - 12:(2001), pp. 289-296. [10.1002/ett.4460120405]

The capacity of the noncoherent channel

COLAVOLPE, Giulio;RAHELI, Riccardo
2001-01-01

Abstract

The capacity of a random-phase additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, referred to as noncoherent channel, is investigated in the case of a transmission of N information symbols. The non-Gaussianity of the capacity-achieving distribution is shown and a lower bound on the channel capacity is derived. For increasing values of the number of transmitted symbols N, the capacity of a noncoherent channel is shown to asymptotically approach that of a coherent channel, i.e., a known-phase AWGN channel. The asymptotical Gaussianity of the capacity-achieving distribution is also shown. Based on the derived lower bound, the inherent capacity loss of a noncoherent channel, as compared to a coherent one, may be considered very limited for all but very small values of N. This result may be viewed as the information theoretic counterpart of a similar conclusion derived by many authors with reference to the probability of detection error.
2001
The capacity of the noncoherent channel / Colavolpe, Giulio; Raheli, Riccardo. - In: EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 1124-318X. - 12:(2001), pp. 289-296. [10.1002/ett.4460120405]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/1450616
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