New codes on graphs constructed by connecting spatially coupled chains

A novel code construction based on spatially coupled low-density parity-check (SC-LDPC) code chains is presented. The proposed code ensembles are described by graphs in which individual SC-LDPC code chains of various lengths serve as edges. We demonstrate that connecting several appropriately chosen SC-LDPC code chains results in improved iterative decoding thresholds compared to those of a single coupled chain in addition to reducing the decoding complexity required to achieve a specific bit error probability.