Accurate Closed-Form Solution for Symbol Error Probability in Hexagonal QAM

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, accurate closed-form approximation for the symbol error probability of hexagonal QAM in AWGN and fading channels, improving efficiency in high-data-rate communication system design.

Contribution

It provides the first straightforward and precise analytical approximation for HQAM SEP applicable to both AWGN and fading channels, surpassing previous methods.

Findings

Analytical and simulation results show high accuracy across various SNRs.

The approximation effectively estimates SEP in slow-fading Rayleigh channels.

The method enhances the design of energy-efficient, high-data-rate communication systems.

Abstract

Future communication systems are anticipated to facilitate applications requiring high data transmission rates while maintaining energy efficiency. Hexagonal quadrature amplitude modulation (HQAM) offers this owing to its compact symbol arrangement within the two-dimensional (2D) plane. Building on the limitations of the current approaches, this letter presents a straightforward and precise approximation for calculating the symbol error probability (SEP) of HQAM in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The analytical and simulation results align across several signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). In addition, the proposed approximation is effective for accurately estimating the SEP of HQAM in scenarios with slow-fading, including those subject to Rayleigh fading.