On the iterative decoding of LDPC convolutional codes

LDPC convolutional codes have been shown to be capable of achieving the same capacity-approaching performance as their block counterparts. In this paper, we present a brief introduction to these codes and their associated iterative decoding algorithm. Further, we demonstrate via computer simulations that the constructed LDPC convolutional codes significantly outperform the LDPC block codes with comparable complexity. Finally, we investigate the reasons for this improved performance.