Sparse IDMA: A Joint Graph-Based Coding Scheme for Unsourced Random Access

This article introduces a novel communication paradigm for the unsourced, uncoordinated Gaussian multiple access problem. The major components of the envisioned framework are as follows. The encoded bits of every message are partitioned into two groups. The first portion is transmitted using a compressive sensing scheme, whereas the second set of bits is conveyed using a multi-user coding scheme. The compressive sensing portion is key in sidestepping some of the challenges posed by the unsourced aspect of the problem. The information afforded by the compressive sensing is employed to create a sparse random multi-access graph conducive to joint decoding. This construction leverages the lessons learned from traditional IDMA into creating low-complexity schemes for the unsourced setting, while also accounting for inherent randomness. Under joint message-passing decoding, the proposed scheme offers good performance at a low computational complexity. Findings are supported by numerical simulations, and results are compared to existing alternatives.