Error Control Coding and Information Theory

The two most significant metrics for any communications system are the rate of transmission and power consumption. One would typically like to transmit at the fastest rate with the least power. As can be expected, the physics of any communication system places limits on the highest rate achievable with a given power or the lowest power with which a given rate can be achieved. Information theory is a field that studies the rate versus power trade-off of a communication system within a mathematical framework introduced by Claude Shannon. Finding the achievable rate-power region of a given communication system is the chief problem in information theory. How does one achieve a given rate-power point that is guaranteed to be achievable by information theory? Error Control Codes were the solutions proposed by Shannon for this purpose. Traditionally used for correcting a few residual errors in a high-power communication link, the need for effective use of bandwidth and broadband communications has catapulted coding to the forefront of communications system design.

The faculty involved in this area are

Srikrishna Bhashyam, Arun Pachai and Andrew Thangaraj. Please visit their websites for more information on current research.