Griffith–Kelly–Sherman Correlation Inequalities: A Useful Tool in the Theory of Error Correcting Codes

It is shown that a correlation inequality of statistical mechanics can be applied to linear low-density parity-check codes. Thanks to this tool we prove that, under a natural assumption, the exponential growth rate of regular low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, can be computed exactly by iterative methods, at least on the interval where it is a concave function of the relative weight of code words. Then, considering communication over a binary input additive white Gaussian noise channel with a Poisson LDPC code we prove that, under a natural assumption, part of the GEXIT curve (associated to MAP decoding) can also be computed exactly by the belief propagation algorithm. The correlation inequality yields a sharp lower bound on the GEXIT curve. We also make an extension of the interpolation techniques that have recently led to rigorous results in spin glass theory and in the SAT problem