David Slepian

Bio: David Slepian is an academic researcher from Bell Labs. The author has contributed to research in topics: Prolate spheroidal wave function & Series (mathematics). The author has an hindex of 22, co-authored 28 publications receiving 12204 citations. Previous affiliations of David Slepian include University of Hawaii.

Noiseless coding of correlated information sources

Abstract: Correlated information sequences \cdots ,X_{-1},X_0,X_1, \cdots and \cdots,Y_{-1},Y_0,Y_1, \cdots are generated by repeated independent drawings of a pair of discrete random variables X, Y from a given bivariate distribution P_{XY} (x,y) . We determine the minimum number of bits per character R_X and R_Y needed to encode these sequences so that they can be faithfully reproduced under a variety of assumptions regarding the encoders and decoders. The results, some of which are not at all obvious, are presented as an admissible rate region \mathcal{R} in the R_X - R_Y plane. They generalize a similar and well-known result for a single information sequence, namely R_X \geq H (X) for faithful reproduction.

Prolate spheroidal wave functions, fourier analysis and uncertainty — II

Abstract: The theory developed in the preceding paper1 is applied to a number of questions about timelimited and bandlimited signals. In particular, if a finite-energy signal is given, the possible proportions of its energy in a finite time interval and a finite frequency band are found, as well as the signals which do the best job of simultaneous time and frequency concentration.

Prolate spheroidal wave functions, fourier analysis, and uncertainty — V: the discrete case

Abstract: A discrete time series has associated with it an amplitude spectrum which is a periodic function of frequency. This paper investigates the extent to which a time series can be concentrated on a finite index set and also have its spectrum concentrated on a subinterval of the fundamental period of the spectrum. Key to the analysis are certain sequences, called discrete prolate spheroidal sequences, and certain functions of frequency called discrete prolate spheroidal functions. Their mathematical properties are investigated in great detail, and many applications to signal analysis are pointed out.

The one-sided barrier problem for Gaussian noise

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the probability, P[T, r(τ)], that a stationary Gaussian process with mean zero and covariance function r(τ) be nonnegative throughout a given interval of duration T. Several strict upper and lower bounds for P are given, along with some comparison theorems that relate P's for different covariance functions. Similar results are given for F[T, r(τ)], the probability distribution for the interval between two successive zeros of the process.

Prolate spheroidal wave functions, Fourier analysis and uncertainty — IV: Extensions to many dimensions; generalized prolate spheroidal functions

Abstract: In two earlier papers∗ in this series, the extent to which a square-integrable function and its Fourier transform can be simultaneously concentrated in their respective domains was considered in detail. The present paper generalizes much of that work to functions of many variables. In treating the case of functions of two variables whose Fourier transforms vanish outside a circle in the two-dimensional frequency plane, we are led to consider the integral equation $\gamma \varphi(x) = \int_{0}^{1} J_{N}(cxy) \sqrt{cxy} \varohi(y) dy. \qquad \eqno{\hbox{(i)}}$ It is shown that the solutions are also the bounded eigenfunctions of the differential equation $(1-x^{2}){d^{2}\varphi \over dx^{2}} - 2x {d \varphhi \over dx} +\left(x-c^{2}x^{2} + {{1 \over 4} - N^{2} \over x^{2}}\right) \varphi = 0. \qquad \eqno{\hbox{(ii)}}$ a generalization of the equation for the prolate spheroidal wave functions. The functions ϕ (called “generalized prolate spheroidal functions”) and the eigenvalues of both (i) and (ii) are studied in detail here, and both analytic and numerical results are presented. Other results include a general perturbation scheme for differential equations and the reduction to two dimensions of the case of functions of D > 2 variables restricted in frequency to the D sphere.

Robust uncertainty principles: exact signal reconstruction from highly incomplete frequency information

Abstract: This paper considers the model problem of reconstructing an object from incomplete frequency samples. Consider a discrete-time signal f/spl isin/C/sup N/ and a randomly chosen set of frequencies /spl Omega/. Is it possible to reconstruct f from the partial knowledge of its Fourier coefficients on the set /spl Omega/? A typical result of this paper is as follows. Suppose that f is a superposition of |T| spikes f(t)=/spl sigma//sub /spl tau//spl isin/T/f(/spl tau/)/spl delta/(t-/spl tau/) obeying |T|/spl les/C/sub M//spl middot/(log N)/sup -1/ /spl middot/ |/spl Omega/| for some constant C/sub M/>0. We do not know the locations of the spikes nor their amplitudes. Then with probability at least 1-O(N/sup -M/), f can be reconstructed exactly as the solution to the /spl lscr//sub 1/ minimization problem. In short, exact recovery may be obtained by solving a convex optimization problem. We give numerical values for C/sub M/ which depend on the desired probability of success. Our result may be interpreted as a novel kind of nonlinear sampling theorem. In effect, it says that any signal made out of |T| spikes may be recovered by convex programming from almost every set of frequencies of size O(|T|/spl middot/logN). Moreover, this is nearly optimal in the sense that any method succeeding with probability 1-O(N/sup -M/) would in general require a number of frequency samples at least proportional to |T|/spl middot/logN. The methodology extends to a variety of other situations and higher dimensions. For example, we show how one can reconstruct a piecewise constant (one- or two-dimensional) object from incomplete frequency samples - provided that the number of jumps (discontinuities) obeys the condition above - by minimizing other convex functionals such as the total variation of f.

Cooperative diversity in wireless networks: Efficient protocols and outage behavior

Abstract: We develop and analyze low-complexity cooperative diversity protocols that combat fading induced by multipath propagation in wireless networks. The underlying techniques exploit space diversity available through cooperating terminals' relaying signals for one another. We outline several strategies employed by the cooperating radios, including fixed relaying schemes such as amplify-and-forward and decode-and-forward, selection relaying schemes that adapt based upon channel measurements between the cooperating terminals, and incremental relaying schemes that adapt based upon limited feedback from the destination terminal. We develop performance characterizations in terms of outage events and associated outage probabilities, which measure robustness of the transmissions to fading, focusing on the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. Except for fixed decode-and-forward, all of our cooperative diversity protocols are efficient in the sense that they achieve full diversity (i.e., second-order diversity in the case of two terminals), and, moreover, are close to optimum (within 1.5 dB) in certain regimes. Thus, using distributed antennas, we can provide the powerful benefits of space diversity without need for physical arrays, though at a loss of spectral efficiency due to half-duplex operation and possibly at the cost of additional receive hardware. Applicable to any wireless setting, including cellular or ad hoc networks-wherever space constraints preclude the use of physical arrays-the performance characterizations reveal that large power or energy savings result from the use of these protocols.

Cognitive radio: brain-empowered wireless communications

Abstract: Cognitive radio is viewed as a novel approach for improving the utilization of a precious natural resource: the radio electromagnetic spectrum. The cognitive radio, built on a software-defined radio, is defined as an intelligent wireless communication system that is aware of its environment and uses the methodology of understanding-by-building to learn from the environment and adapt to statistical variations in the input stimuli, with two primary objectives in mind: /spl middot/ highly reliable communication whenever and wherever needed; /spl middot/ efficient utilization of the radio spectrum. Following the discussion of interference temperature as a new metric for the quantification and management of interference, the paper addresses three fundamental cognitive tasks. 1) Radio-scene analysis. 2) Channel-state estimation and predictive modeling. 3) Transmit-power control and dynamic spectrum management. This work also discusses the emergent behavior of cognitive radio.

Low-Density Parity-Check Codes

Abstract: A low-density parity-check code is a code specified by a parity-check matrix with the following properties: each column contains a small fixed number j \geq 3 of l's and each row contains a small fixed number k > j of l's. The typical minimum distance of these codes increases linearly with block length for a fixed rate and fixed j . When used with maximum likelihood decoding on a sufficiently quiet binary-input symmetric channel, the typical probability of decoding error decreases exponentially with block length for a fixed rate and fixed j . A simple but nonoptimum decoding scheme operating directly from the channel a posteriori probabilities is described. Both the equipment complexity and the data-handling capacity in bits per second of this decoder increase approximately linearly with block length. For j > 3 and a sufficiently low rate, the probability of error using this decoder on a binary symmetric channel is shown to decrease at least exponentially with a root of the block length. Some experimental results show that the actual probability of decoding error is much smaller than this theoretical bound.

Network information flow

Abstract: We introduce a new class of problems called network information flow which is inspired by computer network applications. Consider a point-to-point communication network on which a number of information sources are to be multicast to certain sets of destinations. We assume that the information sources are mutually independent. The problem is to characterize the admissible coding rate region. This model subsumes all previously studied models along the same line. We study the problem with one information source, and we have obtained a simple characterization of the admissible coding rate region. Our result can be regarded as the max-flow min-cut theorem for network information flow. Contrary to one's intuition, our work reveals that it is in general not optimal to regard the information to be multicast as a "fluid" which can simply be routed or replicated. Rather, by employing coding at the nodes, which we refer to as network coding, bandwidth can in general be saved. This finding may have significant impact on future design of switching systems.