TEAPOT - Turbo-Equalization in Polar Coded Optical Telecommunications

TEAPOT is a method for calculating an extrinsic log-likelihood ratio sequence that was developed specifically for use in wireless communication systems, such as mobile communications. A key problem with such systems is the impairment of transmission quality due to multipath propagation and intersymbol interference, which can lead to errors in data transmission. To minimise these disturbances, TEAPOT relies on the principle of so-called turbo equalisation. 

The core of the solution is a receiving unit that receives incoming log-likelihood values and a processing unit that processes these values in an innovative way. Specially developed mathematical methods such as the min-sum algorithm with a correction term and a novel operation are used. The result of this calculation is an extrinsic log-likelihood ratio sequence, which is provided by the output unit. These values are used to iteratively improve decoding and gradually reduce interference.

TEAPOT can be combined with known polar code decoders or LDPC decoders. The advantage here is the low implementation complexity: by using small look-up tables or simple hardware solutions, the calculation can be performed particularly efficiently and in a resource-saving manner.

Another particular advantage is that only faulty data blocks need to be sent to further equalization rounds. Blocks without detected errors are processed directly, which significantly reduces the computational load.