Blind phase recovery in QAM communication systems using characteristic function

In this paper, we present a novel non-data aided method for phase recovery in both square and cross quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) communication systems, based on characteristic function. The proposed method is independent of noise distribution added to the rotated signal. After estimating the gain multiplied to the received signal and compensating its effect, we will estimate the phase offset. The key innovation lies in the use of characteristic function rather than the traditional higher order statistics. We use characteristic function and its estimate (Empirical Characteristic Function-ECF), in order to perform phase estimation. The analytical evaluation of the estimation is provided. Monte Carlo simulation provides feasibility of our new approach.