A dynamic program to achieve capacity of multiple access channel with noiseless feedback

TL;DR

This paper develops a dynamic programming approach to evaluate the capacity of a multiple access channel with noiseless feedback, introducing a state based on common beliefs to simplify the capacity calculation.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of a state and formulates a dynamic program for the MAC with noiseless feedback, enabling a single-letter capacity characterization.

Findings

Established a common belief-based state for the dynamic program

Derived a Bellman fixed-point equation for capacity evaluation

Reduced the dynamic program to a simpler form with message-based state

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the problem of evaluating capacity expression of a multiple access channel (MAC) with noiseless feedback. So far, the capacity expression for this channel is known through a multi letter directed information by Kramer [1]. Recently, it was shown in [2] that one can pose it as a dynamic optimization problem, however, no dynamic program was provided as the authors claimed there is no notion of state that is observed by both the senders. In this paper, we build upon [2] to show that there indeed exists a state and therefore a dynamic program (DP) that decomposes this dynamic optimization problem, and equivalently a Bellman fixed-point equation to evaluate capacity of this channel. We do so by defining a common belief on private messages and private beliefs of the two senders, and using this common belief as state of the system. We further show that this DP can be further reduced to a DP with state as the common belief on just the messages. This provides a single letter characterization of the capacity of this channel.