Nonbinary LDPC codes constructed based on a cyclic MDS code and a low-complexity nonbinary message-passing decoding algorithm

In this letter, we propose a construction of nonbinary quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) codes based on a cyclic maximum distance separable (MDS) code. The parity-check matrices are significantly rank deficient square matrices and their Tanner graphs have a girth of at least 6. The minimum distances of the codes are very respectable as far as LDPC codes are concerned. Based on plurality voting and iterative mechanism, a low-complexity nonbinary massage-passing decoding algorithm is proposed. It only requires finite field operations, integer additions and integer comparisons. Simulation results show that the decoding algorithm is fit for the proposed codes, providing efficient trade-offs between performance and decoding complexity, which suggests that the coding scheme may find some applications in communication or storage systems with high-speed and low-power consumption requirements.