A new design framework for LT codes over noisy channels

Luby transform (LT) codes are a class of rateless codes that automatically adapt their rate to the quality of the communication channel. In the original LT codes, fixed check-node degree distributions are used to combine variable nodes uniformly at random to extend the code graph and produce code bits. Here we propose a different approach: we design a sequence of rate-compatible degree distributions, and develop an algorithm that produces code bits in a manner such that the resulting degree distributions follow the designed sequence. Using this new design framework, we develop low-complexity LT codes suitable for time-varying noisy channels. Performance and complexity of the proposed LT codes are measured in terms of bit error rate and average number of edges per information and coded bit, respectively. Numerical examples illustrate the resulting trade-off between performance and complexity of the designed LT codes.