A novel approach for using extended LDPC codes in cooperative diversity

Cooperative diversity or user cooperation achieves the diversity gain without adding physical antennas to the users or mobile stations. The users work in cooperative fashion using their single antennas to create a virtual transmit diversity, called relay diversity or cooperative diversity. The diversity gain achieved by cooperative diversity can be further improved using error correction codes. Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are linear block codes with good error correction capabilities. We present a novel approach using extended LDPC codes to increase the diversity gain in cooperative diversity. We also compare the extended LDPC codes with punctured LDPC codes in cooperative diversity and show that extended LDPC codes have lesser complexity than punctured LDPC codes in cooperative diversity.