DFE for frequency selective PNC channels using AF

High speed transmission of information suffers inevitably by intersymbol interference (ISI) induced by multipath propagation over frequency selective channels. ISI has been a major obstacle preventing the successful implementation of physical layer network coding (PLNC) systems in these environments. Another major obstacle is the high computational complexity of existing algorithms dealing with ISI, which is a determining factor in the design of relay nodes. In this paper, we propose a novel and computationally efficient decision feedback equalizer structure that is utilized at the end node and in conjunction with a simple amplify and forward (AF) technique employed at the relay. We derive the optimal equations for the decision feedback equalizer (DFE) coefficients and evaluate the end-to-end bit error rate performance in frequency selective channels, and provide both analytical and numerical simulation results that demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach under realistic channel conditions. The obtained results show that E2E performance is dominated by the channel with most severe frequency selectivity.