Advanced channel detection and iterative decoding for perpendicular recording

While a great deal of research on perpendicular recording physics (media and head materials and designs) has been carried out, the focus has been on building the best possible physical channel. The approach taken here is to consider the best channel that fundamental physics can deliver and ask two important questions. First what is the capacity of this channel and how can it be approached with a realizable system. The tools to accomplish this goal are signal processing and coding algorithms for read channels. This paper addresses soft-decision decoding techniques and advanced joint-track channel detection for perpendicular recording channels.