It is well known that multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver are imperative for reliable and high data-rate communication over wireless channels. However, these systems essentially need multiple radio frequency (RF) chains owing to multiple antennas, and hence pose challenges for applications with limited form-factor. Antenna Selection (AS) techniques alleviate this problem by using only a subset of the total available antennas and hence require only a few RF chains compared to the number of antennas. These systems operate in a closed-loop scenario, where the information fed back from the receiver is used for the transmit antenna subset selection. In contrast to this, a novel open-loop technique known as spatial modulation (SM) was recently proposed that uses a single RF-chain at the transmitter and achieves a higher spectral efficiency compared to single-input and AS based systems. The work in the thesis mainly focuses on the following aspects of SM system: Study of Mutual Information in SM systems operating in open-loop and closed-loop scenarios: We study the achievable mutual information in the SM system operating with finite and Gaussian input alphabet, and compare the results with that of the SIMO and AS based systems. Reduced-complexity maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding algorithms for SM systems: We propose ML-optimal sphere decoders for SM systems with arbitrary number of transmit antennas. Furthermore, a reduced-complexity ML detector is also proposed whose computational complexity is lowest among the known existing detectors in the literature. Transmit diversity techniques for SM systems: The conventional SM system achieves a transmit diversity order of one. We propose a complex interleaved orthogonal design baaed SM scheme that achieves a transit diversity order of two, while offering symbol-by- symbol ML decodability. Transmit antenna subset selection algorithms for SM systems: The SM system is considered in the closed-loop scenario, where only a subset of the total number of transmit antennas is chosen based on the information fed back by the receiver. Specifically, the Euclidean distance and capacity optimized antenna selection algorithms are studied in comparison with the conventional AS based systems. SM system operating in dispersive channels: The SM system operating in a dispersive channel with the aid of zero-padding is studied. It is shown that the SM system achieves full receive-diversity and multipath-diversity with ML decoding, but offers a decoding complexity that is exponential in the number of multipaths. Furthermore, a reduced complexity linear receiver is proposed that achieves achieves full multipath as well as receive-diversity, while offering a decoding complexity order same as that of the SM system operating in a frequency-flat channel.

Dans cette thèse, nous présentons nos travaux dans le domaine de l'algorithme de décodage non-binaire pour les classes générales de codes LDPC non-binaires. Les Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes ont été initialement présentés par Gallager en 1963, et après quelques avancées théoriques fondamentales, ils ont été pris en compte dans les normes comme le DVB-S2, WI-MAX, DSL, W-LAN etc. Plus tard, Les codes LDPC non-binaires (NB-LDPC) ont été proposés dans la littérature, et ont montré de meilleures performances lorsque la taille du code est petite ou lorsqu'il est utilisé sur des canaux non-binaires. Toutefois, les avantages de l'utilisation des codes LDPC non-binaires entrainent une complexité de décodage fortement accrue. Pour un code défini dans GF (q), la complexité est de l'ordre O(q^2). De même, la mémoire nécessaire pour stocker les messages est d'ordre O(q). Par conséquent, l'implémentation d'un décodeur LDPC-définie sur un ordre q> 64 devient pratiquement impossible.L'objectif principal de la thèse est de développer des algorithmes a complexité réduite, pour les codes LDPC non-binaires qui démontrent un rendement excellent et qui soient implémentable. Pour optimiser les performances de décodage, non seulement l'algorithme de décodage est important, mais aussi la structure du code joue un rôle important. Avec cet objectif à l'esprit, une nouvelle famille de codes appelés codes cluster-NB-LDPC a été élaboré et des améliorations spécifiques du décodeur NB pour les codes de cluster-NB-LDPC ont été proposés. Notre principal résultat est que nous étions en mesure de proposer des décodeurs de codes cluster-NB-LDPC avec une complexité réduite par rapport à décodeurs d'habitude pour les codes LDPC-NB sur les corps de Galois, sans aucune perte de performance en matière de la capacité de correction d'erreur. / In this thesis we present our work in the domain of non-binary decoding algorithm for general classes of non-binary LDPC codes. Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes were originally presented by Gallager in 1963, and after some fundamental theoretical advancements, they were considered in standards like DVB-S2, WI-MAX, DSL, W-LAN etc. Later on, non-binary LDPC (NB-LDPC)codes were proposed in the litterature, and showed better performance for small lengths or when used on non-binary channels. However, the advantages of using NB-LDPC codes comes with the consequence of an heavily increased decoding complexity. For a code defined in GF(q), the complexity is of the order O(q^2). Similarly, the memory required for storing messages is of order O(q). Consequently, the implementation of an LDPC-decoder defined over a field order q > 64 becomes practically impossible.The main objective of the thesis is to develop reduced complexity algorithms for non-binary LDPC codes that exhibit excellent performance and is practically im-plementable. For better decoding performance, not only the decoding algorithm is important, but also the structure of the code plays an important role. With this goal in mind, a new family of codes called cluster-NB-LDPC codes was developped and specific improvements of the NB decoder for cluster-NB-LDPC codes were proposed. Our principal result is that we were able to propose decoders for cluster-NB-LDPC codes with reduced complexity compared to usual decoders for NB-LDPC codes on fields, without any performance loss in error correction capability.

We implement a package for the construction of a new class of Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes based on a new random high girth graph construction technique, and study the performance of the codes so constructed on both the Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel as well as the Binary Erasure Channel (BEC). Our codes are “near regular”, meaning thereby that the the left degree of any node in the Tanner graph constructed varies by at most 1 from the average left degree and so also the right degree. The simulations for rate half codes indicate that the codes perform better than both the regular Progressive Edge Growth (PEG) codes which are constructed using a similar random technique, as well as the MacKay random codes. For high rates the ARG (Almost Regular high Girth) codes perform better than the PEG codes at low to medium SNR’s but the PEG codes seem to do better at high SNR’s. We have tried to track both near codewords as well as small weight codewords for these codes to examine the performance at high rates. For the binary erasure channel the performance of the ARG codes is better than that of the PEG codes. We have also proposed a modification of the sum-product decoding algorithm, where a quantity called the “node credibility” is used to appropriately process messages to check nodes. This technique substantially reduces the error rates at signal to noise ratios of 2.5dB and beyond for the codes experimented on. The average number of iterations to achieve this improved performance is practically the same as that for the traditional sum-product algorithm.