Bounds on the decoding error probability of binary block codes over noncoherent block AWGN and fading channels

We derive upper bounds on the decoding error probability of binary block codes over noncoherent block additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and fading channels, with applications to turbo codes. By a block AWGN (or fading) channel, we mean that the carrier phase (or fading) is assumed to be constant over each block but independently varying from one block to another. The union bounds are derived for both noncoherent block AWGN and fading channels. For the block fading channel with a small number of fading blocks, we further derive an improved bound by employing Gallager's first bounding technique. The analytical bounds are compared to the simulation results for a coded block-based differential phase shift keying (B-DPSK) system under a practical noncoherent iterative decoding scheme proposed by Chen et al. We show that the proposed Gallager bound is very tight for the block fading channel with a small number of fading blocks' and the practical noncoherent receiver performs well for a wide range of block fading channels.