ECE 515 601 Digital Communications

3 Credit Hours

A graduate-level course in digital communications. Functions and interdependence of various components of digital communication systems will be discussed. Topics include modulation and demodulation, statistical channel modeling, optimal receiver design, performance analysis, and fundamentals of information theory. The focus of this course is on design and analysis of general communication systems. Specific communication systems will be discussed in class as time permits and addressed in group projects.

Prerequisite

An undergraduate probability course is required.
A graduate probability and stochastic processes course (ECE 514 or equivalent) and background in Linear Algebra (MA 305/405 or equivalent) and signal processing are helpful but not required.
Matlab background is preferred.

Course Topics and Objectives

• Basic elements of digital communication systems; communication channels; mathematical models; brief history; performance measures. (Ch.1)
  Objectives: Students will learn to identify functions of different components of a digital communication system.
• Bandpass Signals and Systems, Signal Space Representations, Digitally Modulated Signals (Ch. 2 and 3 (5th ed); Ch. 4 (4th ed.)).
  Objectives: Students will convert a digital bandpass signal into an equivalent complex lowpass signal and represent a digital signal using several modulation methods.
• Characterization of Additive White Gaussian Noise Channels; Optimum Receivers; Correlation and Matched Filter Receivers; Performance of the Optimal Receiver. (Ch. 4 (5th ed); Ch, 5 (4th ed.))
  Objectives: Students will design correlation and matched filter receivers, compute the probability of error for several modulation methods, and compare modulation methods based on their error rates and spectral efficiencies.
• Introduction to Information Theory— Entropy, Source Models, Source Coding, Average Mutual Information, Channel Models and Channel Capacity. (Ch. 6 (5th ed.); Ch. 3 and 7 (4th ed.))
  Objectives: Students will compute theoretical bounds on the rates of digital communication systems and employ codes for data compression.
• Specific communication system examples.
  Objectives: Students will apply the theoretical principles learned earlier in the course to investigate specific digital communication systems in their group projects (optional for ECE 515). Applications will also be discussed in the lectures.

Grading

Homework 15%
Peer Grading 5% (drop the lowest score)
Midterm 30%
Final exam 35%
Group Project 15%

Textbook

Proakis, G., Digital Communications, McGraw-Hill, Fourth Edition. ISBN: 0-07-232111-3 or Fifth Edition (co-authored by Salehi, M.), ISBN 9780072957167

Computer Software

MATLAB and word processing software.

Updated: 10/14/2024