Source and Channel Coding for Correlated Sources Over Multiuser Channels

TL;DR

This paper investigates the conditions under which separate source and channel coding is optimal for multiuser channels with correlated sources and side information, revealing that optimal codes may differ from traditional source or channel codes.

Contribution

It provides necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal separation in various multiuser channel models with correlated sources and side information.

Findings

Optimal separation holds for certain source and side information structures.

The optimal codes for these models differ from standard source or channel codes.

Separation's optimality depends on joint design criteria, not just individual source or channel coding.

Abstract

Source and channel coding over multiuser channels in which receivers have access to correlated source side information is considered. For several multiuser channel models necessary and sufficient conditions for optimal separation of the source and channel codes are obtained. In particular, the multiple access channel, the compound multiple access channel, the interference channel and the two-way channel with correlated sources and correlated receiver side information are considered, and the optimality of separation is shown to hold for certain source and side information structures. Interestingly, the optimal separate source and channel codes identified for these models are not necessarily the optimal codes for the underlying source coding or the channel coding problems. In other words, while separation of the source and channel codes is optimal, the nature of these optimal codes is impacted by the joint design criterion.