ML iterative soft-decision-directed (ML-ISDD): a carrier synchronization system for short packet turbo coded communication

Modern communication systems are required to provide services based on high data rates burst-mode packet-data transmission, capable of operating at very low SNR conditions. Turbo codes enable the operation at low SNR, close to the Shannon limit. However, carrier frequency and phase synchronization, needed for optimal coherent performance of the receiver, still remains a problem in low SNR and short bursts conditions. This paper proposes a new carrier synchronization method, the Maximum-Likelihood Iterative-Soft-Decision-Directed (ML-ISDD), which uses the turbo-decoder soft decisions to improve the carrier synchronization performance at low SNR values. The ML-ISDD method operates iteratively and jointly with the turbo decoder, enhancing both the turbo-decoder and the synchronization performance. The ML-ISDD method has been shown by simulation to significantly increase the allowed initial frequency and phase uncertainty region, thus allowing the use of very short training sequences for initial carrier synchronization.