Performance analysis of the error-forecasting decoding for interleaved block codes on Gilbert-Elliott channels

This paper investigates the performance of the error-forecasting decoding for an interleaved block code on Gilbert-Elliott channels in terms of the word-error probability, which is the sum of the decoder error and failure probabilities. We derive expressions by constructing several Markov chains, starting from a two-state Markov chain of the Gilbert-Elliott channel model. The derived formulas are examined for an interleaved Reed-Solomon code on solid-density and moderate-density burst error channels. Numerical results indicate that the error-forecasting decoding can significantly improve the performance, particularly on solid-density burst error channels. The optimal depth of interleaving for the error-forecasting decoding is also numerically evaluated.