Optimal Feedback Communication via Posterior Matching

TL;DR

This paper introduces the posterior matching principle for optimal feedback communication over memoryless channels, unifying existing schemes and proving the capacity achievement of the Horstein scheme for BSC.

Contribution

It presents a universal feedback transmission scheme based on posterior matching, achieving rates up to channel capacity and providing new error probability formulas.

Findings

Proves Horstein scheme attains BSC capacity

Provides closed-form error probability expressions

Derives achievable rates under model mismatch

Abstract

In this paper we introduce a fundamental principle for optimal communication over general memoryless channels in the presence of noiseless feedback, termed posterior matching. Using this principle, we devise a (simple, sequential) generic feedback transmission scheme suitable for a large class of memoryless channels and input distributions, achieving any rate below the corresponding mutual information. This provides a unified framework for optimal feedback communication in which the Horstein scheme (BSC) and the Schalkwijk-Kailath scheme (AWGN channel) are special cases. Thus, as a corollary, we prove that the Horstein scheme indeed attains the BSC capacity, settling a longstanding conjecture. We further provide closed form expressions for the error probability of the scheme over a range of rates, and derive the achievable rates in a mismatch setting where the scheme is designed according to the wrong channel model. Several illustrative examples of the posterior matching scheme for specific channels are given, and the corresponding error probability expressions are evaluated. The proof techniques employed utilize novel relations between information rates and contraction properties of iterated function systems.