Frequency offset estimation with fast acquisition in OFDM system

A new carrier frequency offset estimation scheme in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system is proposed. The carrier frequency offset estimation includes acquisition and tracking, and the acquisition range is as large as one half of overall signal bandwidth. The proposed tracking estimator is a maximum-likelihood estimator, and in AWGN channel, the Cramer-Rao lower bound is met at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); in multipath channel, the tracking algorithm works well at moderate SNR. Timing synchronization can be also performed during the course of acquisition.