Time varying convolutional codes for punctured turbocodes

In the area of digital communications, turbocodes provide a flexible way to design error-correcting codes which are decodable near the theoretical limits. Classical constructions use optimal fixed convolutional codes. However it has been proven that, in some cases, time varying convolutional codes outperform fixed codes in terms of minimum distance. In this paper, we discuss the use of these codes in the design of turbocodes.