Performance Analysis of a Multiband OFDM UWB System in the Presence of Narrowband Interference

This paper presents a performance analysis of an ultra wideband (UWB) communication system based on Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) in the presence of narrowband interference. Although OFDM-based systems are known to be capable of withstanding some level of narrowband interference, mitigation techniques may have to be used when interference levels are high. Furthermore, as typical UWB systems employ low resolution analog-to-digital converters, the effect of narrowband interference may be exacerbated in the process of analog-to-digital conversion. In order to improve the performance of MB-OFDM UWB systems in the presence of narrowband interference, we consider the use of analog notch filters. This paper proposes an analytical model and formulation that allows for the evaluation of the probability of symbol error of an MB-OFDM UWB system when an analog notch filter is used for narrowband interference mitigation. It is shown that using an analog notch filter can significantly improve the performance of MB-OFDM UWB systems in high-interference scenarios.