Record-breaking error correction using Low-Density Parity-Check
Codes
Matthew C Davey
Gallager's low-density parity-check codes have near Shannon limit
performance when decoded using a Viterbi-like decoding algorithm. We
report two advances that further improve the error-correction
performance of these codes. First, defining the codes over non-binary
fields we can obtain a 0.6dB improvement in signal to noise ratio for
a given bit error rate. Second, using parity-check matrices with a
variety of row and column weights we obtain gains of up to 0.5dB.
When combined, these changes result in codes whose empirical
error-correction performance is unbeaten for the additive white
Gaussian noise channel.
Status: Essay available in the University Library, University of
Cambridge.
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