CAREER: Linear Precoding Methods for High Bit Rate Wireless Transmission

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Scaglione, Anna Cornell U 0133635 "Linear precoding methods for high bit rate wireless transmission over time-varying broadband channels" It is predictable that in the near future computing and multimedia applications will be supported by unique mobile devices that will be capable of transmitting and receiving various type of information (images, audio, data). These devices will use a unique interface based on the Internet, a common transfer protocol based on IP and will be supported by ubiquitous wireless coverage. However, the communication technology used today is inadequate to support this progress without generating a spiraling demand for bandwidth. As bandwidth becomes a low-margin commodity, certain technological barriers need to be surpassed starting from the physical layer. Using the modulation paradigm that we refer to as "linear precoding" this project researches designs that allow high bit rate packet transmission over broadband frequency selective time-varying channels. The block transmission model in the linear precoding framework provides a very general setting to determine the optimal or most cost-effective multiple access technique for packet transmission. The outreach of this project is the development of physical layer solutions for packet transmission that: 1) minimize the overhead bandwidth dedicated to training, error correction coding and precoding jointly; 2) adapt to time-varying channels ; 3) can incorporate an arbitrary number of transmit and receive antennas; 4) can support multiple access packet transmission, allowing different quality of service requirements in terms of rate, decoding delay and complexity. The mathematical framework of linear precoding is not only an useful tool for research but also for teaching, since it allows a unified description of the principles of wideband and high bit rate transmission, including schemes such as antenna diversity, spread spectrum and multicarrier transmissions as special cases.