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IEEE Access
Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA over Rayleigh Block

Fading Channels: Bounds and Threshold Saturation via
Spatial Coupling
Journal: IEEE Access
Manuscript ID Access-2023-24922
Manuscript Type: Regular Manuscript
Date Submitted by the

17-Aug-2023
Author:
Complete List of Authors: Cheng, Jun; Doshisha Daigaku Riko Gakubu Daigakuin Rikogaku
Kenkyuka
TAKAHASHI, YUHEI; Doshisha Daigaku Riko Gakubu Daigakuin Rikogaku
Kenkyuka
SONG, GUANGHUI; Xidian University State Key Laboratory of Integrated
Services Network
Kimura, Tomotaka; Doshisha Daigaku Riko Gakubu Daigakuin Rikogaku
Kenkyuka
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AUTHOR RESPONSES TO IEEE ACCESS
8 SUBMISSION QUESTIONS
9 Author chosen
10 Research Article
manuscript type:
11
This manuscript gives theoretical solution on evaluating the
12
Author explanation performance on irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) systems
13
14
/justification for in wireless scenarios by addressing practical fading channel. The
15 choosing this iterative erasure recovery in channel coding theory is analogous to
16 manuscript type: the iterative interference cancellation in IR-SA systems and help us
17 find the solution.Â
18 Author description of
This work is an application of information theory and coding theory
19 how this manuscript fits
to the wireless communications, and falls in the field of
20 within the scope of IEEE
communication engineering.
21 Access:
22 The analysis of IR-SA systems has been thoroughly investigated
23 with various channel models. To the best of our knowledge, little
24 Author description analysis has been focused on the MAP threshold and the converse
25 detailing the unique bound over the Rayleigh fading channel model. We perform an
26 contribution of the asymptotic analysis of IR-SA systems with the Rayleigh fading
27 manuscript related to channel model, and derive a MAP threshold and a converse bound.
28 existing literature: Numerical results show that a spatially-coupled scheme achieves a
29
threshold saturation that a BP threshold approaches to the MAP
30
threshold.
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2 Date of publication xxxx 00, 0000, date of current version xxxx 00, 0000.
3 Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2017.DOI
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7 Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA
8
9 over Rayleigh Block Fading Channels:
10
11 Bounds and Threshold Saturation via
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Spatial Coupling
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16 YUHEI TAKAHASHI1 , GUANGHUI SONG2 , (MEMBER, IEEE),
17 TOMOTAKA KIMURA1 , (MEMBER, IEEE), AND JUN CHENG1 , (MEMBER, IEEE)
1
Department of Intelligent Information Engineering and Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
18 2
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Services Networks, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China
19 Corresponding author: Jun Cheng (e-mail: jcheng@ieee.org).
20
21
22
23 ABSTRACT In irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) systems, a population of devices transmits
24 their packets to an access point (AP) within a frame of slots. The AP decodes these packets by iterative
25 processing between intra- and inter-slot successive interference cancellations. The average normalized
26 offered traffic, as a performance metric, represents the number of packets transmitted per slot when the
27 packet loss rate approaches zero. Such asymptotic types of traffic as the belief propagation (BP) threshold,
28 the maximum a posteriori (MAP) threshold, and the converse bound of IR-SA systems have been analyzed
29 over various channel models. However, over fading channels, the MAP threshold and the converse bound
30 have not yet been investigated. This paper derives an MAP threshold and a converse bound of the systems
31 over Rayleigh block fading channels. The derivations are based on two extrinsic information transfer (EXIT)
32 curves, which are associated with two iterative density evolution equations to analyze the BP threshold of
33 the IR-SA systems. First, since an open decoding tunnel exists in an EXIT chart, the sum of the two areas
34 below two EXIT curves is smaller than the area of the entire domain. This provides the traffic’s converse
35 bound, which is tight. Second, a coincidence of the BP EXIT and MAP EXIT curves makes it possible to
36 derive the traffic’s MAP threshold. Third, a density evolution for a spatially-coupled scheme is formulated
37 and gives a BP decoding threshold of the traffic. Numerical results show that the spatially-coupled scheme
38 achieves a threshold saturation effect where the BP threshold approaches the MAP threshold.
39
40 INDEX TERMS belief propagation (BP) threshold, extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) curve, maximum
41 a posteriori (MAP) threshold, slotted ALOHA, spatial coupling
42
43
44 I. INTRODUCTION SAs and derive their theoretical bounds over Rayleigh block
45 fading channels. The bounds are approached by a practical,
46 ASSIVE Machine Type Communications (mMTC),
47
48
M which is a potential application of the sixth generation
(6G) of wireless technology, is anticipated to provide wire-
iterative decoding process.
A. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND OUR OBJECTIVE

49 less connectivity to a large number of devices [1]. Random
50 access schemes [2], which evolved from slotted ALOHAs In IR-SA systems [4], [6]–[11], NT devices transmit their
51 (SAs) [3], are regarded as a class of promising solutions packets to an access point (AP) within a frame of M time
52 for mMTC since such devices transmit their data without slots. Each device generates a single packet with activation
53 pre-establishing connections and pre-requesting channel re- probability π ≪ 1 and transmits its replica a variable number
54 sources. Among these random access schemes, irregular rep- of times (irregular repetition) to several slots. Repetition
55 etition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) [4] achieves a theoretical times l of an active device is drawn from probability distribu-
56 bound of the slotted ALOHA-type schemes over the collision tion {Λl }.
57 channel model [5]. In this paper, we further investigate IR- In the receiver, AP recovers the packets obtained in the
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Y. Takahashi et al.: Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA over Rayleigh Block Fading Channels: Bounds and Threshold Saturation
1
2 frame. Within a slot, AP may successfully decode some systems over Rayleigh fading channels. We show that the BP
3 replicas, for example, with a fading channel model, if their threshold of a spatially-coupled scheme approaches the MAP
4 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) exceeds a cer- threshold.
5 tain threshold, and the decoded replicas are removed by
6 intra-slot successive interference cancellation (SIC). When B. RELATED WORKS
7 a replica has been decoded successfully, all other replicas The extensively studied traditional SA [3] has been imple-
8 from the same device are removed from their accessed slots mented in various commercial communication systems and
9 by inter-slot SICs. AP repeats these intra- and inter-slot SICs standards [2]. Nevertheless, its maximum offered traffic is
10 until no packets can be decoded. only 1/e. The offered traffic was improved by the diversity
11 IR-SA systems have a special case of Λd = 1, referred as of transmission, which transmits a packet multiple times
12 to d-regular repetition slotted ALOHA (d-RR-SA) systems. [20]. Noteworthy advances have been achieved by combining
13 Moreover, IR-SA systems, where each device repeatedly transmission diversity and SIC at the AP [4] [12] [21]. Such
14 transmits its replicas, are the repetition code case of a generic a combination enables us to constructively exploit collisions
15 linear block code in coded slotted ALOHA (C-SA) systems by canceling interference due to correctly received packets to
16 [12]–[18]. In this paper, we focus on IR-RA systems and allow the possible recovery of other initially collided packets.
17 evaluate their asymptotic performance. The collision channel model without erasures [4] [5] [7]
18 The average normalized offered traffic, denoted by G = [13] [21] is a simple and popular channel model that mainly
19 πNT /M , is one performance metric commonly adopted in analyzes the asymptotic decoding performance of IR-SA sys-
20 IR-SA systems. Traffic G represents the average number tems. The collision model assumes that a) noise and fading
21 of packets transmitted per slot when the packet loss rate can be neglected, such that a transmission can be decoded
22 (PLR) of the systems approaches 0 or lower than a target from a singleton slot by default, and b) no transmission can
23 value for fading channels. Offered traffic G is equivalent be decoded from a collision slot. With the collision model,
24 to a throughout. Let NT /M be constant. We are interested Casini, Gaudenzi, and Herrero proposed a 2-RR-SA system
25 in the asymptotic (M → ∞) decoding performance of G, called the contention diversity slotted ALOHA (CRDSA)
26 which depends on probability distribution {Λl }, which must scheme [21], where an active device transmits twin replicas
27 be optimized. of each packet within a frame, and the AP adopts an inter-slot
28 Threshold value Gth exits such that when G < Gth , all SIC for resolving collisions. It promotes maximum offered
29 the transmitted packets are successfully decoded. Conversely, traffic G to about 0.55. Liva identified the key analogies
30 if G > Gth , then a fraction of the devices’ packets will of inter-slot SIC with iterative erasure recovery in channel
31 undoubtedly fail to be successfully delivered [12]. coding theory [19] and extended d-RR-SA to an irregular
32 Resembling the decoding analysis of low-density parity- approach [4]. The inter-slot SIC process can be well modeled
33 check (LDPC) code over a binary erasure channel (BEC) by a bipartite graph [4] and resembles the density evolution of
34 [19], for IR-SA systems, such analysis of the following is LDPC codes over BEC [19]. By exploiting design techniques
35 interesting: asymptotic decoding thresholds Gth as a belief for the LDPC code context, device node degree distribution
36 propagation (BP) threshold, a maximum a posteriori (MAP) {Λl } is optimized by differential evolution [22], and the
37 threshold, and a converse bound. Density evolution [4] de- asymptotic BP decoding threshold is given by the density
38 scribes the iterative procedure between the erasure probabili- evolution. When the order of the distribution polynomial is
39 ties (or beliefs) of devices and slots during iterative intra- and asymptotic, the optimal distribution is the well-known soliton
40 inter-slot decoding. The threshold, obtained by the density distribution and resulting traffic G can be arbitrarily close to
41 evolution, is referred to as BP threshold GBP [4] that can be 1 [7].
42 achieved in practice. Packet-wise (bit-wise in an LDPC code Over the collision channel model, the converse bound and
43 context) MAP decoding maximizes the posterior probability the MAP decoding threshold of IR-SA systems were given
44 of each packet and gives MAP threshold GMAP [5]. The [5] [13]. The former was established by observing that the
45 MAP threshold, which is the highest performance when not sum of the two areas below the two extrinsic information
46 addressing the complexity of decoding, is the upper limit of transfer (EXIT) curves is less 1 [13]. The converse bound
47 practical decoding, such as the BP threshold. Converse bound is tight in the sense that the BP thresholds are close to it.
48 GC [13] [17] [5] expresses an impossibility threshold to be The MAP threshold [5] was derived by the area theorem in
49 approached and is tight if the MAP or BP thresholds are the context of the LDPC code [23]. However, we observe
50 close to the bound. Although it is comparatively simple to that the value of the MAP threshold is approximate when
51 get a converse bound, calculating a MAP threshold is usually normalized population size α = NT /M is large enough.
52 difficult. If the converse bound is tight, it can be used as an A spatially-coupled scheme was proposed, and the corre-
53 upper bound for the BP threshold, especially when the MAP sponding schemes are referred to as spatially-coupled slotted
54 threshold is unknown. ALOHA (SC-SA) systems. The BP threshold under iterative
55 Over Rayleigh fading channels, the BP threshold of IR-SA inter-slot SIC processing with the spatially-coupled scheme
56 systems was investigated [6]. In this paper, our objective is saturates towards the MAP threshold [5].
57 to derive the MAP threshold and the converse bound of the The collision channel model considers only collisions for
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2 transmitted packets or replicas. A generalization of the colli- The packet erasure channel is also called an on-off fading
3 sion channel model is represented by multi packet reception channel [29] [30]. A K-MPR channel model with on-off
4 (MPR) channels [9] [15]. In a basic K-MPR channel model, fading [17] was introduced to perform contention within a
5 an AP is assumed to be able to successfully decode all the slot in C-SA systems. Each transmitted replica is erased, i.e.,
6 packets in the slots where no more K colliding replicas faded by the channel at a certain probability. If the number
7 are present and to extract no information from slots where of non-erased replicas is smaller than or equal to K in a slot,
8 over K packets are interfering with each other. Note that then all are perfectly decoded; otherwise, no replicas can be
9 the K-MPR channel model with K = 1 is reduced to the recovered from it. The BP threshold and the converse bound
10 collision channel model. Over the K-MPR channel model, a are derived, and the numerical results show that the former
11 BP threshold analysis of the IR-SA systems was conducted with a spatially-coupled scheme is close to the bound [17].
12 [9]. Subsequently in the C-SA systems, the converse bound Although the analysis on collision channels [4] [13] [5]
13 was established, and the numerical results in K = 1, 2, 3 and MPR channels [9] [15] is helpful for basic insights into
14 show that the BP threshold of the spatially-coupled scheme IR-SA and C-SA systems, unfortunately, it neglects the im-
15 saturates towards the bound [15]. pact of fading and noise in wireless transmission. Although
16 Coding for the noiseless binary adder channel model [8] erasure channels [16] [17] consider fading to a certain extent,
17 [11] gives a practical implementation of the intra-slot SIC they fail to describe adequately its impact in wireless sce-
18 for IR-SA systems over the K-MPR channels. For the binary narios. In addition, a power-domain non-orthogonal multiple
19 adder channel, the channel’s output is the sum (being over access (NOMA) was recently incorporated into both IR-SA
20 the reals) of the multiple binary inputs [24] [25] [26]. In [10] [31] and C-SA [18] systems. By setting the target level
21 such systems, a codebook is common and shared with all of the received power, the power loss due to channel fading
22 the devices. Each message is encoded, and the corresponding is compensated. In these systems, however, channel state
23 codeword of the codebook is transmitted as a packet or its information (CSI) is assumed to be perfectly known by the
24 replicas. Within a slot, AP can resolve the collisions of up devices. The path loss (correlated to distance) channel model
25 to K packet replicas. In a regime of practical interests, a that neglects the fading and shadowing effect was consid-
26 codebook is constructed as a parity-check matrix of BCH ered for IR-SA systems [32], where devices are uniformly
27 code [8] [24]. Currently, a random codebook [11] enhances distributed on a disk of radius 1. Error probability ϵ̄m that
28 the MPR capability by resolving more colliding packets. decodes the packet replica from the m-collision signal is
29 The basic K-MPR channel model assumes that an intra- calculated by Monte-Carlo estimations and combined with
30 SIC can always be applied perfectly. The probability that density evolution to evaluate system performance.
31 a packet cannot be correctly subtracted in a slot due to an In wireless scenarios, the impact of fading must be ad-
32 imperfect intra-SIC was taken into account in the IR-SA [27]. dressed. In the context of slotted ALOHA, the MPR capa-
33 The optimal device node distribution that maximizes a BP bility is enhanced by incorporating intra-SIC processing over
34 decoding threshold was derived by density evolution with fading channels [33], since fading causes power variations
35 an imperfect intra-SIC. Moreover, IR-SA’s random nature among signals observed in collision slots, and sufficiently
36 results in a large dynamic range of received power that cannot strong signals may be decoded.
37 be recovered under a practical quantizer. An SIC limit exists, The Rayleigh block fading channel is one standardly used
38 i.e., a limit on the maximum number of packets that can be model for evaluating the performance of wireless systems
39 recovered in each slot, and was resolved in IR-SA analysis [34]. Over such a channel, decoding is considered where m
40 [28]. packets or replicas are received within a slot. A reference
41 Erasure channel models, including both packet and slot packet with SINR η is successfully decoded if η > η0 ,
42 erasure channels, were considered in the design of C-SA where η0 is a decoding threshold according to Shannon’s the-
43 systems [16]. When a transmitted packet or replica experi- orem. The intra-SIC further enhances the decoding capacity
44 ences deep fading, in the packet erasure channel model, the within the slot. Clazzer, Paolini, Mambelli, and Stefanović
45 packet is assumed to be erased and the corresponding erasure [6] derived an exact expression of average error probability
46 probability is ϵPE = Pr(|h| < η0 ), where h is the fading with threshold decoding and intra-SIC. The average error
47 coefficient and η0 is a given threshold. The slot erasure probability, denoted by ϵ̄m , for decoding a randomly chosen
48 channel model assumes that all the packets transmitted are packet replica under m − 1 interferences is expressed as a
49 erased with slot erasure probability ϵSE in the slot within function of decoding threshold η0 and the average received
50 which a stronger external interference may overwhelm all SNR of the signal from each device (Appendix A). With
51 the transmitted packets. Over the two erasure channels, the average error probability ϵ̄m , the density evolution for IR-SA
52 device node degree distribution is optimized by linear pro- systems gives a BP threshold with an optimized device node
53 gramming to maximize their corresponding BP thresholds. degree distribution {Λl } [6]. Moreover, an IR-SA system was
54 Moreover, converse bounds for the erasure channels were analyzed that uses multiple antennas at the AP over Rayleigh
55 derived [29]. In the erasure channel models, however, erasure block fading channels [35]. When a perfect CSI is available
56 probabilities ϵPE and ϵSE are constant and no practical fading at the AP, average error probability ϵ̄m is approximately
57 channels are addressed. expressed in a closed form. The BP threshold obtained by
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2 density evolution with ϵ̄m provides an upper bound on the II. IRREGULAR REPETITION SLOTTED ALOHA:
3 thresholds with an estimated CSI. PRELIMINARIES
4 Summarizing the analysis of the above IR-SA systems, BP This section reviews IR-SA systems and their preliminaries.
5 thresholds have been thoroughly investigated with various The density evolution, which plays a key role in deriving
6 channel models [4] [6] [7] [9] [16] [17] [35]. Converse the converse bound and the MAP threshold in Sections III-A
7 bounds have been analyzed with collision [5] [13] [14], and III-B, will be extended to a spatially-coupled scheme in
8 erasure [29], K-MPR [15], K-MPR with on-off fading [17], Section IV.
9 and binary adder channel [8] models. The MAP threshold
10 is only formulated with the collision model [5]. To the best A. TRANSMISSION AND GRAPH REPRESENTATION [4]
11 of our knowledge, little analysis has focused on the MAP We consider graph-based IR-SA systems [4] [5] where a total
12 threshold and the converse bound over the Rayleigh fading of NT devices want to transmit their packets to an AP. A
13 channel model. medium access control frame consisting of M time slots is
14 For IR-SA systems, this paper focuses on the maximiza- assumed to be a contention duration, where the length of
15 tion of the offered traffic. The minimization of the age of each slot corresponds to a packet’s duration. At the beginning
16 information over collision channels can be found [2] [36] of a frame, each device generates with activation probability
17 [37], and the maximization of device energy efficiency over π ≪ 1 a message, which is encoded into a codeword, called
18 1- and 2-MPR channels has been studied [38] [39]. Interested a packet, with common channel code Cch at rate Rch . The
19 readers are referred to these works and references cited l replicas of the packet with probability Λl , selected from
20 therein for more detailed description. probability distribution {Λl }l1max , are transmitted to l slots
21 within the frame, where each replica embeds pointers to slots
22 C. OUR CONTRIBUTIONS containing the otherP replicas. The average number of replicas
23 per device is d¯ =
lmax ¯
In this paper, we perform an asymptotic analysis of IR-SA l=1 lΛl , and its inverse ζ = 1/d is a
24 measure of the energy efficiency of IR-SA systems [8] [17].
systems with the Rayleigh fading channel model and make
25 Note that in d-RR-SA systems, Λd = 1.
the following contributions:
26 Devices attempting transmission within a frame are de-
27 1) We establish a converse bound of average normalized
scribed as active, and those that are idle within a frame are
28 offered traffic GC . An open decoding tunnel exists in
called inactive. Let Na be a random variable representing
29 the EXIT chart, and the sum of the two areas below the
the number of active devices whose expectation is E(Na ) =
30 two EXIT curves is smaller than the entire domain’s
πNT . Let α = NT /M be the normalized population size,
31 area. This situation helps us derive the converse bound.
which is the ratio of the total number of devices to the frame
32 The bound is tight in the sense that both the MAP
size. The average normalized offered traffic is defined as
33 decoding and the explicit spatially-coupled schemes
G = πNT /M = πα, which represents the average number
34 approach closer to the bound.
of packet transmissions per slot.
35 2) We derive a MAP decoding threshold of the average
The above transmission frame status is also described as
36 normalized offered traffic. The coincidence of the BP
bipartite graph G = (D, S, E), where D is a set of NT device
37 and MAP EXIT curves makes it possible to derive
nodes (DNs), S is a set of M slot nodes (SNs), and E is a
38 a MAP threshold, which is exact for any value of
set of edges. An edge connects DN di ∈ D to SN sj ∈ S
39 normalized population size α and serves as a guideline
if and only if the j-th slot was selected by the i-th device
40 for practical access schemes.
at the beginning of the frame. In addition, a residual graph
41 3) We present a density evolution algorithm for an explicit
(denoted by Ga ) is one by removing the DNs associated with
42 spatially-coupled scheme and derive its BP decoding
inactive devices and their adjacent edges from G [5] [17]. In
43 threshold. We observe from the numerical results that
this paper, we use the graph representation of G by treating
44 the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a threshold satu-
activation probability π as the erasure probability of BEC in
45 ration effect through which the BP decoding threshold
the LDPC context.
46 approaches the MAP threshold.
47 The rest of our paper is organized as follows. Section II B. DEGREE DISTRIBUTIONS
48 reviews IR-SA systems, including a preliminary graph-based 1) Degree distributions: basic [40]
49 analysis and a density evolution. We derive the converse We briefly review the node-perspective degree distributions
50 bound over the Rayleigh block fading channels in Sec- of graph G and represent them by the following polynomials
51 tion III-A. Next, following a definition of a BP EXIT function [40]:
52 in parametric form, we formulate an analysis of the MAP
53 threshold in Section III-B. A spatially-coupled scheme over lX
max NT
X
54 fading channels is presented and its BP decoding threshold Λ(x) = Λl xl and Ψ(x) = Ψl xl , (1)
55 is given in Section IV. Numerical and simulation results are l=1 l=0
56 shown in Section V, and finally Section VI concludes the where Λl (Ψl ) is the probability that a DN (SN) has l edges
57 paper. connected to SNs (DNs). A node (DN or SN) is degree-l if
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2 l edges are connected to it. The following are the average C. FADING CHANNELS AND DECODING PROCESSING
3 numbers of edges per DN and per SN: 1) Decoding within a slot: intra-slot SICs
4
lX NT Consider a generic slot in a frame, e.g., the j-th slot, at
5 max X
6 d¯ ≜ Λ′ (1) = lΛl and Ψ′ (1) = lΨl , (2) some point during decoding. For compact notation, we ignore
index j in this section. Assuming m packet collisions, the
7 l=1 l=0
superimposed signal in the slot is
8 ′ ′
where Ψ (x) (Λ (x)) is the first-order derivative of function
9 Ψ(x) (Λ(x)). Moreover, the number of edges connected to X
y= hi xi + z. (12)
10 DNs is identical to that of SNs:
i∈R
11
12 NT Λ′ (1) = M Ψ′ (1). (3)
Here xi ∈ Cch is a codeword (or packet) of channel code
13 Cch with rate Rch and length n, transmitted by device i,
Degree distributions are also defined from an edge per-
14 assuming it accessed the slot. Set R is the collection of
spective. The polynomials are [40]
15 devices with packets or replicas that access the slot at this
16 lX
max NT
X point and |R| = m. Vector z ∼ CN (0, σ 2 I) is additive,
17 λ(x) = λl xl−1 and ρ(x) = ρl xl−1 , (4) circularly symmetric complex Gaussian (CSCG) noise with
18 l=1 l=1 mean 0 and diagonal covariance matrix σ 2 I with noise power
19 where λl (ρl ) is the fraction of edges that are connected to a σ 2 and identity matrix I. Coefficient hi ∼ CN (0, σh2 = 1)
20 degree-l DN (SN). is channel fading for device i to the AP at the slot, and the
21 By definition, edge-perspective degree distributions can be channel coefficient remains constant for a slot (i.e., a block
22 represented by node-perspective distributions [40]: of n consecutive coded symbols) and changes to another
23 slot. All devices are subject to the same power constraint
24 lΛl
λl = Plmax
lΨl
and ρl = PNT (5) ∥xi ∥2 /n ≤ P , and the received SNR of the signal from
25 l=1 lΛl l=0 lΨl device i is Γi = P |hi |2 /σ 2 .
26 For the Rayleigh distribution of |hi |, the SNR of Γi is
27 Λ′ (x) Ψ′ (x) exponentially distributed [34]:
28 λ(x) = and ρ(x) = . (6)
Λ′ (1) Ψ′ (1)
29
1 −x
Γ̄
e Γ̄ , x > 0,
30 pΓ (x) = (13)
2) Degree distributions: graph-based IR-SAs [4] 0, x ≤ 0,
31
In graph-based IR-SA systems, DN degree distribution Λ(x)
32 where Γ̄ = σP2 σh2 is the average received SNR of the signal
can be optimized. This section describes the derivation of SN
33 n
from each device.
degree distribution Ψ(x) for a given Λ(x).
34 We next consider the decoding in the slot of a reference
Since Ψ′ (1) is the average number of packet collisions per
35 codeword, e.g., xi0 . The SINR is
slot, the probability that a device transmits a replica of its
36 ′
packet within a given slot is ΨN(1) . Thus, the probability that
37 T
P |h |2 Γi0
38
an SN possesses l edges is [4] η i0 ≜ P i0 = P . (14)
σ2 + u∈R\i0 P |hu |
2 1+ u∈R\i0 Γu
39 ′ l
NT Ψ (1)
N −l
Ψ′ (1) T
40 Ψl =
l NT
1−
NT
. (7) Shannon’s theorem [41] shows that xi0 is successfully de-
41 coded if the SINR exceeds a certain SNR threshold η0 . Error
42 The corresponding pronominal is probability ϵ is
43 NT NT
Ψ′ (1)(1 − x)

44

0, ηi0 > η0 ,
X
Ψ(x) = Ψl xl = 1− . (8) ϵ= (15)
45 l=0
NT 1, ηi0 ≤ η0 ,
46
47 When NT → ∞, the number of edges l follows a Poisson where the SNR threshold satisfies Rch = log2 (1 + η0 ) for
48 distribution. With e−x = limn→∞ (1 − nx )n , it holds that [4] code Cch of rate Rch [41]. Note that in our decoding, we
49 ′ ′ ¯ assume that the AP has the perfect channel state information
Ψ(x) = e−Ψ (1)(1−x) = e−Λ (1)NT /M (1−x) = e−αd(1−x) , (9)
50 and has a number of packet collisions.
51 where d¯ ≜ Λ′ (1) and α = NT /M . From (6), it follows that When codeword xi0 is successfully decoded, hi0 xi0 is
52 removed from y. This processing, referred to as intra-slot
¯
53 ρ(x) = e−αd(1−x) (10) SIC, is repeated until no codewords exist whose SINRs
54 exceed threshold η0 . For the intra-slot SICs, the average error
55 with Poisson distribution probability of decoding a randomly chosen packet replica
56 ¯ l−1
¯ (αd) from the m-collision signal of (12) is exactly expressed in
57 ρl = e−αd , l = 1, 2, . . . . (11) a closed-form (see Appendix A) [6].
(l − 1)!
58
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59 For Review Only
60
1
2 2) Decoding between slots: inter-slot SICs where the summation is over all possible values 1 ≤ m ≤ k.
3 When some packets (codewords) are successfully decoded Next we explain the terms in the summation:
4 within a slot, their replicas are removed from those slots k−1

1) Term m−1 (1 − ℓp)k−m ( ℓp)m−1 corresponds to the
5 indicated by those packets. This processing is referred to as probability that the degree of the SN is reduced to m.
6 an inter-slot SIC. Note that we assume that the AP possesses In other words, among k − 1 edges, m − 1 edges are
7 perfect channel state information, which is required to re- unknown, and the remaining k − m edges have been
8 move these replicas. revealed due to inter-slot SICs.
9 The intra- and inter-slot SIC processings can be described 2) (1 − ϵ̄m ) is the probability that the SN corresponding
10 as a successive removal of edges in bipartite graphs G and to the outgoing edge is decoded successfully when the
11 Ga . When a packet from a device (or a DN) is successfully reduced degree of the SN is m. In other words, within a
12 decoded within a slot (or an SN), the corresponding edge slot of k packets, after removing k−m packets with the
13 connected to the SN is removed due to the intra-slot SIC, and help of inter-slot SICs, we decode a randomly chosen
14 all the l edges connected to the same DN are removed due to packet replica among the remaining m packets. The
15 the inter-slot SIC. error probability that decodes the packet replica from
16
the m-collision signal is (Appendix A) [6]:
17 D. ASYMPTOTIC ANALYSIS: DENSITY EVOLUTION
18 m
(m − 1)!
1 t
e− Γ̄ ((1+η0 ) −1)
We now review the density evolution algorithm [6] with X
19 ϵ̄m = 1 − . (19)
constant α = NT /M to evaluate the asymptotic (M → ∞) (m − t)! (1 + η0 )t(m−(t+1)/2)
20 t=1
performance of graph-based IR-SA systems over Rayleigh
21
block fading channels. Inserting (11) into (17), we have
22
As NT and M approach infinity, bipartite graph G be-
23 ∞ k
comes a protograph in the form of probability [4] [40]. (a) k−1 k−m ℓ m−1
24
X X
ℓ
q = 1− ρk (1−ℓp) ( p) (1−ϵ̄m )
Now we review the density evolution algorithm [6] from the m−1
25 m=1 k=1
protograph.
26 (b) X∞ ℓ m−1
p
∞
(1−ϵm ) X (k−1)! k−m
We refer to the DNs (SNs) as the DN (SN) group. For the (1− ℓp)
27 = 1−
(m−1)!
ρk
(k−m)!
,
ℓ-th iteration, let ℓp be the probability that an edge incident
28 m=1 k=m
on the DN group carries an erasure message towards SNs.
29 P∞ k−1
Similarly, let ℓq be the probability that an edge incident on the

30
where we used k=1 ρk = 1 in (a) and m−1 =
SN group carries an erasure message towards the DN groups. (k−1)!
31 (m−1)!(k−m)! in (b). We rewrite the second term of the
First, consider the DN group, which has degree distribution summation:
32
λ(x). For an DN with degree-l, the probability that an edge
33 ∞
emanating from it carries an erasure message towards the SN X (k − 1)! k−m
34 ρk (1 − ℓp)
group is π · (ℓ−1)q l−1 , where (ℓ−1)q l−1 is the probability that (k − m)!
35 k=m
the other l − 1 incoming messages to the DN are erased, and
36 (c)
∞ ¯ − ℓp) k−m
αd(1

π is the activation probability of the devices. Averaging over −αd¯
X
37 = e ¯ m−1
(αd)
all the edges in the protograph gives the average probability (k − m)!
38 k=m
that a DN-to-SN message is erased [4] [5]:
39 (d) ¯ m−1 e−αd¯ ℓp ,
= (αd)
40 lX
max
41 ℓ
p=π λl · (ℓ−1)q l−1 = πλ( (ℓ−1)q). (16) where we used (11) in (c)Pand the Maclaurin series of
42 l=1
exponential function ex =
∞ xi
i=0 i! in (d). Therefore, we
43 Second, consider the SN group, which has degree distri- have [6]
44 bution ρ(x). The probability that an edge carries an erasure
45 message from the SN group to the BN group in the ℓ-th ¯ ℓp
X∞
(αd¯ ℓp)m
46
ℓ
q = 1− e−αd (1 − ϵm+1 ). (20)
iteration is [4] [6] m!
47 m=0
∞
48 ℓ
X ¯ = − ln ρ(1 −
From (10), we observe that in (20), term αdx
49 q= ρk · ℓq (k) . (17)
x), which means that ℓq can be rewritten as a function of
50 k=1
(1 − ℓp):
51 Here ρk is the fraction of edges connected to an SN of degree-
52 k (11), and ℓq (k) is the probability that an edge carries an ℓ
q = 1 − χ(1 − ℓp), (21)
53 erasure message, given that it is connected to the SN of
54 degree-k. The erasure probability of the degree-k SN is [6] where
55 k ∞
56 X
k−1

¯
X ¯ m
(αdx)
ℓ (k)
q = 1− (1−ℓp)k−m ( ℓp)m−1 (1−ϵ̄m ), (18) χ(1 − x) ≜ e−αdx (1 − ϵm+1 ). (22)
57 m=1
m−1 m=0
m!
58
6 VOLUME XX, 2023
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1
2 Finally, substituting for (16) we have [6] π
3 fs−1(p)
4 ¯ (ℓ−1)q)
X∞ ¯ (ℓ−1)q))m
(Gdλ(
5
ℓ
q = 1− e−Gdλ( (1 − ϵm+1 ) As
m!
6 m=0
(23)
7 fd(q)
(ℓ=0) p, fd(q)
8 with q = 1,
9
10 where G = πα is the average normalized offered traffic
Ad
11 of the systems. Let (∞)q(G, d, ¯ Γ̄, η0 ) = limℓ (ℓ)q be the
12 convergence value of the iteration. The PLR of the systems is
13 [4] [6]
0 q, fs(p) 1
14
15 ¯ Γ̄, η0 ) = Λ( (∞)q(G, d,
PLR(G, d, ¯ Γ̄, η0 ))
FIGURE 1: Example of EXIT chart for an IR-SA system with
16 lX
max l distribution Λ(x) = 0.4x3 + 0.6x2 , where d¯ = 2.4, α = 4,
17 = Λl (∞)q(G, d,¯ Γ̄, η0 ) . (24)
η0 = 1, Γ̄ = 20 dB, and κ = 15. An open tunnel between
18 l=1 two curves gives converse bound GC,blk = 3.2369.
19
The asymptotic iterative decoding threshold, also called
20
the BP decoding threshold, is defined as the supremum
21 A. CONVERSE BOUND OVER RAYLEIGH FADING
offered traffic value [4] [6]:
22 We are now ready to describe an asymptotic threshold upper
23 ¯ Γ̄, η0 ) → 0}. bound on average offered traffic GC of graph-based IR-SA
GBP,blk = sup{G : PLR(G, d, (25)
24 systems. The upper bound is referred to as a converse bound
25 in information theory expressing an impossibility value to be
26 Remark 1: Our derivation of density evolution here is slightly
different from a previous work [6], where all the N devices approached.
27 By omitting the iterative index for simplification, we
28 were active at the beginning of a frame, i.e., π = 1, and the
frame status was described as residual graph Ga . In our work, rewrite the iteration equations (16) and (21) of the density
29 evolution:
30 we consider activation probability π and use graph G. The
31 activation probability is analogous to the erasure probability
p = πλ(q) ≜ fd (q), q ∈ (0, 1]
of the BEC in LDPC decoding, like another previous work (26)
32 q = 1 − χ(1 − p) ≜ fs (p), p ∈ (0, π].
33 [5]. If the expectation of the number of devices, E(Na ) =
34 πNT , is seen as N , the iteration equation of (23), where G = Note that the initial value of p is activation probability π. An
35 N/M , is identical as in the previous work [6]. 2 example of an EXIT chart is shown in Fig. 1.
36 Remark 2 (κ-MaxDecoding): In (18), the intra-slot SICs Function fd (q) (fs (p)) is also called the average EXIT
37 are carried out for every possible number of collisions, i.e., function of DNs (SNs) [19] [40]. Let the areas below the DN
38 1 ≤ m ≤ k, where the number of occurrences k in the (SN) EXIT functions over interval [0, 1] ([0, π]) be
39 Poisson distribution of (11) tends to infinity. For a practical
40 reason, we considered a κ-MaxDecoding where the intra- Z 1 Z π
slot SICs are carried out only when the number of collisions Ad = fd (q)dq and As = fs (p)dp. (27)
41 0 0
42 is equal to or less than given constant κ (1 ≤ κ ≤ k).
43 Under κ-MaxDecoding, the range of the summation in (22) A necessary condition for successful decoding is an open
44 is truncated to 0 ≤ m ≤ κ − 1. tunnel between the two curves in the EXIT chart [19] [23],
45 Consider the special case of κ = 1, where no intra-slot SIC which displays fd (q) and fs−1 (q). Such area matching means
46 is performed in the AP. Probability ℓqj is reduced to that (Fig. 1)
47 η0 Ad + As < π. (28)
48
ℓ
q = 1 − ρ(1 − ℓp)(1 − ϵ1 ) with ϵ̄1 = 1 − e− Γ̄ .
49 The area below the DN EXIT function is
50 For the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel
0, Γ1 = P/σ 2 > η0

X Z 1
51 AWGN
X λl π π
model, ϵ̄1 =
1, Γ1 ≤ η0
. For the colli- Ad = π λl q l−1 dq = π = ′ = ¯.
52 0 l Λ (1) d
53
Coli
sion channel model [4], it follows that ϵ̄1 = 0. 2 l l
(29)
54 On the other hand, the area below the SN EXIT function is
55 III. CONVERSE BOUND AND MAP THRESHOLD Z π
56 We describe a converse bound and a MAP threshold of the As = π − χ(1 − z)dz = π − τ (π), (30)
57 IR-SA systems in Sections III-A and III-B. 0
58
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60
1
2 where 1
3 Z x
4 τ (x) ≜ χ(1 − z)dz
5 0
∞ m
! 0.8
6 (f) 1 X ¯
X ¯ k
(αdx)
−αdx
= ¯ (1 − ϵm+1 )(1 − e )
7 αd m=0
k!
k=0
8 (31) 0.6
9
hBP (π(x))
hBPdπ = P (x̄)
R
10 is expressed in a closed form. In (f) we used Gaussian integral

11 [42, Eq. (2.321.1)]:
12 Z n
! 0.4
n ax ax
X
k n! n−k
13 x e dx = e (−1) k+1 x + C.
a (n − k)!
14 k=0
15 Combining (29) and (30), we have 0.2
π BP
π MAP
16
¯ (π).
πα < αdτ
17
18 With G = πα, the solution of equation πα = αdτ¯ (π), i.e., 0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 π(x)
∞ m
!
20 C,blk
X
−GC,blk d¯
X ¯k
(GC,blk d)
G = (1−ϵm+1 )(1−e ) (32)
21 k! FIGURE 2: Example of BP EXIT function hBP (x) with
m=0 k=0
22 identical parameters, as in Fig. 1: Here π BP = 0.7106 and
23 gives the converse bound of asymptotic threshold GC,blk , π MAP = 0.8043. Thus, we have GMAP = απ MAP =
24 which is a function of the average number of transmissions d¯ 3.2172.
25 and is independent on a concrete DN distribution.
26 Remark 3: We rewrite (32) as
27 ∞ systems, however, ρl=1 ̸= 0 (11), and thus ρ(0) ̸= 0, and
28 χ(0) ̸= 0 (22).
X
GC,blk = (1−ϵm+1 )
29 m=0 At the fixed point, if the erasure probability emitted from
30 ∞ C,blk ¯ k ∞
! the DN is x, then the PLR of the systems equals Λ(1 −
C,blk
d¯ (G d)
X X
31 − e−G · (1 − ϵm+1 ) . χ(1 − x)). Similar to MAP decoding in the LDPC context
k! [19, Lemma 3.116], we define BP EXIT function hBP (π) in
32 k=0 m=k
33 (33) parametric form by the following curve (see an example in

34 When we use κ-MaxDecoding and set ϵ̄1 = · · · = ϵ̄κ = 0, Fig. 2):
35 the solution of (33) gives the converse bound of κ-MPR [15, (π(x), hBP (π(x)))
36 Eq. (17)]. 2 (
37 (π, 0), π ∈ [0, π BP ),
=
38 B. MAP THRESHOLD OVER RAYLEIGH FADING (π(x), Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))), π ∈ (π BP , 1] ↔ x ∈ (xBP , x̄].
39 We derive threshold GMAP,blk under MAP decoding for
40 The BP EXIT curve is a trace of this parameter equation for
graph-based IR-SA systems over Rayleigh block fading
41 x starting at x = x̄ until x = xBP . Indeed, function π(x)
channels. MAP decoding resembles that of LDPC code over
42 has a unique minimum, which determines threshold π BP =
BEC where activation probability π is analogous to the
43 π(xBP ) [19, Lemma 3.116] [43].
channel erasure probability in the LDPC context [5].
44 The integral under the curve (π(x), Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))) is
Recall the equations of density evolution (26). Erasure
45 called a trial entropy associated with (λ, χ) [19, Definition
probability p emitted by the DNs tends to a limit value, called
46 3.119]:
x, which is a fixed point of equations
47
Z x Z x
x = πλ(1 − χ(1 − x)). (34) P (x) = hBP (π(z))dπ(z) = Λ(1 − χ(1 − z))dπ(z)
48 0 0
49 Solving this fixed point equation for π ∈ (0, 1], we get
Z x
50 = Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))π(x) − Λ′ (1) zχ′ (1 − z)dz
x 0
51 π(x) = , x ∈ (0, x̄], (35) xΛ(1 − χ(1 − x))
λ(1 − χ(1 − x)) + Λ′ (1) (xχ(1 − x) − τ (x)) ,
52 =
λ(1 − χ(1 − x))
53 where π(x̄) = 1 and 0 < x̄ < 1. In the LDPC context
(36)
54 [19, Theorem 3.59], π(x = 1) = 1, since every check node
55 always has two more edges. Thus the constant term in the where we used (6), (35), and τ (x) in a closed form (31).
56 polynomial of the node-perspective distribution of the check Note that MAP threshold π MAP is the solution of P (x) =
57 nodes is ρl=1 = 0. It follows that ρ(0) = 0. In IR-SA 0 and defines π MAP = π(xMAP ), and the BP and the MAP
58
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1
2 TABLE 1: MAP thresholds of 3-RR-SA with collision chan- A. TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL
3 nel model and approximate values [5] We consider a spatially-coupled scheme and summarize it
4 as follows [5] (Fig. 3). In the systems, NT devices with
α G̃MAP,blk [5] GMAP,blk with (37) &(41)
5 reg reg
activation probability π ≪ 1 want to transmit their messages
1 1 0.9179
6 2 0.9216 0.9179 to a single AP. A super-frame is divided in to Mf = L + d − 1
7 5 0.9179 0.9179 frames, each of which consists of M slots. At the beginning
8 100 0.9179 0.9179
of the i-th frame (i = 0, 1, . . . , L − 1), among NT devices,
9 Ni devices become active with probability π, and each active
10 device transmits a single packet in a slot picked uniformly at
11 EXIT curves coincide above π MAP [19, Theorem 3.120]. random within the i-th frame. Furthermore, d − 1 replicas of
12 Therefore, given λ(x) and χ(x), we find the MAP threshold the packet are sent in the following (i + 1)- to (i + d − 1)-th
13 by computing (Fig. 2) frames, and each replica selects a slot uniformly at random
14 Z π(x̄) within the corresponding frame.
15 hBP (π)dπ = P (x̄) − P (xMAP ) = P (x̄). (37) In the SC-SA, using the same number of repetitions for
16 π MAP
each device transmission prevents uneven energy consump-
17 As a result, the MAP threshold of graph-based IR-SA sys- tion among sensor devices, whereas in the IR-SA [6], sensor
18 tems can be upper bounded: devices with a higher number of repetitions may experience
19 faster battery depletion.
20 GMAP,blk = απ MAP . (38)
The expectation of the active devices in each frame is
21 E(Ni ) = πNT . The normalized average offered traffic of a
Especially for graph-based d-RR-SA systems where
22 super-frame becomes
λ(x) = xd−1 , the trail entropy becomes:
23
24 πNT L L L
Preg (x) = x(1 − χ(1 − x)) + d(xχ(1 − x) − τ (x)). (39) G†≜ =G = πα , (42)
25 M (L + d − 1) L+d−1 L+d−1
26 Using Preg (x = x̄) above, we obtain the MAP threshold of
where G = πNT
= πα.
27 graph-based d-RR-SA systems, GMAP,blk
reg . M
28 Remark 4: With the collision channel model, the value of the

B. GRAPH REPRESENTATION
29 MAP threshold of the d-RR-SA was obtained from [5]:
The transmission process outlined in Section IV-A can also
30 Z 1
1 be described as a bipartite graph, an example of which is
31 hBP (π)dπ = 1 − . (40)
α shown in Fig. 3. We referred to the DNs in the i-th frame
32 π̃ MAP
as the i-th DN group and the SNs in the j-th frame as the j-th
33 We claim that the value of threshold G̃MAP,blk = απ̃ MAP is
reg SN group.
34 unfortunately approximate for a large α. Since each DN transmits its single packet and d − 1 repli-
35 In an LDPC context, the MAP threshold over BEC is cas, the probability that a DN group has d edges connected to
36 computed with (40), where 1 − α1 is the nominal rate of the BN groups is 1, i.e., Λd = 1 for each DN group. Moreover,
37 LDPC code [19, Theorem 3.120] [5]. Note that this is true all the edges connected to the j-th SN group are from δj (≤ d)
38 under the assumption that ρ(x = 0) = 0. DN groups, where
39 On the contrary, in d-RR-SA (or IR-SA) systems, ρ(0) =
40

e−αd ̸= 0. With a collision channel model where ϵ̄1 = 0 and  j + 1, j = 0, 1, · · · , d − 2
41 κ = 1, function χ(1 − x) of (22) can be reduced to ρ(1 − x). δj = d, j = d − 1, · · · , L − 1 (43)
42 L + d − 1 − j, j = L, · · · , L + d − 2.

Thus the trail entropy (39) is reduced to
43
1 1 Similar to (9), when NT → ∞, the number of edges l con-
44 Preg (x) = x − − (x(d − 1) − )ρ(1 − x). (41)
α α nected to the j-th SN group follows a Poisson distribution.
45
Therefore, the node-perspective distribution polynomials are
46 As a result, computing (37) with (41) gives the MAP
[5]
47 threshold. However, the threshold value obtained in (40) is
48 approximate under the assumption that ρ(0) = e−αd ≈ 0 Λ(x) = xd , Ψ(j) (x) = e−αδj (1−x) . (44)
49 and P (x̄ ≈ 1) ≈ 1 − α1 . The numerical results in Table 1
50 show that when α ≥ 5, the two values become identical. 2 Similarly, the edge-perspective distribution polynomials
51 are [5]
52 IV. SPATIALLY-COUPLED SLOTTED ALOHA SYSTEMS
λ(x) = xd−1 , ρ(j) (x) =
X (j)
ρl xl−1 = e−αδj (1−x) , (45)
53 In this section, we investigate a spatially-coupled scheme l
54 using a convolutional-oriented super-frame [15] [17] [5]. We
55 refer to slotted ALOHA systems with such a scheme as SC- with Poisson distribution (see (11)):
56 SA systems and formulate a density evolution to give a BP (j) (αδj )l−1
57 threshold of them over Rayleigh block fading channels. ρl = e−αδj , l = 1, 2, . . . . (46)
(l − 1)!
58
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1
2
super-frame: Mf = L + d − 1
3
4 L = 5 d−1 = 2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14 frame 0 frame 1 frame 2 frame 3 frame 4 frame 5 frame 6
15
16 slot node active device node inactive device node
17
FIGURE 3: Bipartite graph: Example of SC-SA super-frame structure with NT = 7, M = 2, L = 5, and d = 3.
18
19
20 super-frame: Mf = L + d − 1 of the sets are δj = |Nj | and d = |Mi |. Also let [L] =
21 {0, 1, 2 . . . , L − 1}.
L = 5 d−1 = 2
22 We describe the density evolution algorithm as follows.
23 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
For the ℓ-th iteration, let ℓpi be the probability that an edge
24 ρ(0)(x) ρ(1)(x) ρ(2)(x) ρ(3)(x) ρ(4)(x) ρ(5)(x) ρ(6)(x)
incident on the i-th DN group carries an erasure message
25 towards its neighboring SN groups. Similarly, let ℓqj be the
26 probability that an incident edge on the j-th SN group carries
27 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 an erasure message towards its neighboring DN groups.
28 0 1 2 3 4 First, consider the i-th DN group, which has degree d
29 for all i (Fig. 5). Let ℓpij be the probability that an edge
30 FIGURE 4: Protograph: Example of SC-SA super-frame
structure (Fig. 3) with L = 5 and d = 3. emanating from the i-th DN group carries an erasure message
31 towards the j-th SN group with j ∈ Mi .
32 Based on message-passing decoding over BEC [40], an
33 qj
edge is revealed whenever at least one of the other d − 1
xd−1
34 pjj
.
d
..
j edges has been uncovered:

35 π
qj
j
ϵ̄m
m=0,1,. . . Y
ℓ (ℓ−1)
36 d
pij = π qu , i ∈ [L]. (47)
.
ρ(j) (x)
..
37 pj(j+d−1) u∈Mi \j
38 Second, consider the j-th SN group (Fig. 5). The probabil-
39 FIGURE 5: Message passing at j-th coupled position. ity that an edge carries an erasure message from the j-th SN
40 group to the BN groups in the ℓ-th iteration is
41 ∞
42 In SC-SA systems, the channels are Rayleigh distributed (j) (k)
X
ℓ
qj = ρk · ℓqj , j ∈ [L + d]. (48)
43 and the intra- and inter-slot SICs are employed as described k=1
44 in Section II-C.
(j)
45 Here ρk is the fraction of the edges connected to an SN
(k)
46 C. DENSITY EVOLUTION of degree-k in the j-th SN group (46), and ℓqj is the
47 We next propose a density evolution algorithm to evaluate probability that an edge carries an erasure message, given that
48 the asymptotic (M → ∞ with constant α = NT /M ) it is connected to the degree-k SN in the SN group. Similar
49 performance of the SC-SA systems. to (18), the erasure probability of the degree-k SN is
50 As NT and M approach infinity, the bipartite graph k
51 ℓ (k)
X k−1
(Fig. 3) becomes a protograph in the form of probability qj = 1− (1−ℓpj )k−m ℓpm−1
j (1−ϵ̄m ), (49)
52 (Fig. 4). m=1
m−1
53 DNs are neighbors of an SN when they are connected to
where ℓpj is the average erasure probability towards the j-th
54 one, and vice versa. The set of DN groups neighboring the
SN group from its neighbors:
55 j-th SN group is Nj = {j − δj + 1, j − δj + 2, . . . , j}.
56 Analogously, the set of SN groups neighboring the i-th DN ℓ 1 X ℓ
pj = pvj . (50)
57 group is Mi = {i, i + 1, . . . , i + d − 1}. The cardinalities δj
v∈Nj
58
10 VOLUME XX, 2023
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1
2 Algorithm 1 Density evolution for SC-SA 3.5
3 GC,blk : κ = 21
1: procedure DE(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 )
4 0
2: qj = 1, ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1] 3 GMAP,blk : κ = 21
5 3: for ℓ = 1 : ℓmax do
reg
6 4: compute ℓpij with (47), ∀i ∈ [L] GC,blk : κ = 15

7 5: compute ℓpj with (50), ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1]
2.5
GMAP,blk : κ = 15
8 6: compute ℓqj with (51), ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1]
reg
9 2 GC,blk : κ = 4
7: end for
10 GMAP,blk :κ=4
G
8: return { ℓqj } reg
11 end procedure 1.5
9: GC,blk : κ = 3
12
13 GMAP,blk
reg :κ=3
1
14 GC,blk : κ = 2
Inserting (46) into (48), similar to (20) we have
15
GMAP,blk :κ=2
16 ℓ −δj α ℓpj
X∞
(δj α ℓpj )m 0.5 reg
17 qj = 1− e (1 − ϵm+1 ). (51)
m!
18 m=0
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 In (51), from (47) and (50), term δj α ℓpj can be rewritten: ζ = 1/d¯
20 X Y
21 δj α ℓpj = πα (ℓ−1)
qu FIGURE 6: Regular MAP thresholds GMAP,blk
reg are close to
22 v∈Nj u∈Mv \j their corresponding converse bounds in IR-SAs with κ =
23 L+d−1 X Y 2, 3, 4, 15, and 21.
24 = G† (ℓ−1)
qu ,
L
v∈Nj u∈Mv \j
25
26 where G† is the normalized average offered traffic of the simulations, the target PLR is set to 10−2 due to channel fad-
27 super-frame (42). ing. As mentioned in Remark 2, we conduct κ-MaxDecoding
28 From initial value (ℓ=0)qj = 1 for each SN group, by where the summation range was truncated to 0 ≤ m ≤ κ − 1
29 the iteration shown in Algorithm 1, we obtain convergence in (22) and (51).
30 values Throughout this section, without specific declarations, the
31 specifications in our numerical analysis and simulations are
32
(ℓ∞)
qj (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) ≜ (ℓ∞)
qj , j ∈ [L + d], shown in Table 2. In our simulations, we set the number of
33 fading samples to H = 10000, where one fading sample
which is the PLR of the j-th SN group.
34 denotes the set of fading coefficients with which all the active
Similar to (47), the following is the probability that a
35 devices transmit their packets or replicas within one super-
packet is lost for the active devices in the i-th DN group:
36 frame.
37
Y
PLRi (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) = (ℓ∞)
qu (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ), i ∈ [L]. In Fig. 6, we provide the numerical results of converse
38 u∈Mi bounds GC,blk obtained from (32) at various values of param-
39 (52) eter κ and MAP thresholds GMAP,blk
reg of the d-RR-SA sys-
40 The average packet loss probability of all the DN groups is tems obtained from (37) at d = 2, 3, . . . , 6. The regular MAP
41 L thresholds are close to their corresponding converse bounds,
42 PLR(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) =
1X Y (ℓ∞)
qu (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ). a result that can also be confirmed from the numerical values
43 L i=1
u∈Mi
at both κ = 15 and κ = 21 (Table 3). Indeed, our converse
44 (53) bound is tight. This result can be attributed to the fact that the
45 The asymptotic iterative (BP) decoding threshold of the
46 SC-SA systems, denoted by G†
BP,Conv
, is defined as the
47 TABLE 2: Specifications in analysis and simulations
supremum offered traffic value:
48 BP,Conv # of transmitted replicas per device d
49 G† = sup{G† : PLR(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) → 0}. (54) average # of replicas per device d¯
50 # of slots within a frame M
population of devices NT
51 V. NUMERICAL RESULTS AND SIMULATIONS ratio of # of devices to slots α = NT /M = 100
52 In this section, we provide the numerical results of the # of coupling L = 100
53 converse bounds and the MAP and BP thresholds proposed SNR threshold of decoding η0 = 1
variance of fading σh2 = 1
54 in Sections III-A, III-B, and IV-C. We also provide the sim- average received SNR per device Γ̄ = 20 dB
55 ulation results to verify the effectiveness of these thresholds. maximum # of collisions to be decoded κ
56 Although PLR approaches 0 in our definition of BP decoding # of fading samples H = 10000
target PLR PLR= 10−2
57 thresholds in (25) and (54), in our numerical analysis and
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59 For Review Only
60
1
2 100 3.5
3 GMAP,blk : κ = 15
reg
4 SC-SA 3 BP,Conv
5 G† : κ = 15
IR-SA [6]
6 3-RR-SA [6] GMAP,blk
reg :κ=4
7 2.5
† BP,Conv
8 G :κ=4
9 2 GMAP,blk
reg :κ=3
PLR
10 10−1 GC,blk: 3.2934
G
† BP,Conv
G :κ=3
11 1.5
12 GMAP,blk: 3.2932
GMAP,blk
reg :κ=2
13 G † BP,Conv
:κ=2
1
14 GMAP,blk
reg : 3.2909
15
16 0.5
17 −2
10 2.5
GBP,blk
reg : 2.5466 GBP,blk: 2.9708 G†
BP,Conv
: 3.2906
18 3 3.5 0
G or G† 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 ζ = 1/d
20 FIGURE 7: PLR versus normalized average offered traffics
21 G† and G at a) SC-SA (d = 3), b) IR-SA [6] (optimized FIGURE 8: Threshold saturation: BP thresholds of SC-SA
22 distribution in Table 4 with d¯ = 3.0994), and c) 3-RR-SA [6]. approach MAP thresholds of d-RR-SA.
23 Moreover, converse bound and MAP thresholds are given.
24 TABLE 4: Optimized device node degree distribution and its
25 corresponding BP threshold (PLR=10−2 and κ = 15) [6]
26 two EXIT functions (Fig. 1) match well and the open tunnel .
d¯ Distribution Λ(x) GBP,blk [6]
27 between two curves is very narrow.
2.0808 Λ(x) = 0.0053x4 + 0.0702x3 + 0.9245x2 2.8769
28 Fig. 6 also shows that the converse bounds (or the MAP Λ(x) = 0.1080x10 + 0.0176x8
29 thresholds) at κ = 15 are almost consistent with those at 3.0994 +0.0162x7 + 0.0102x6 2.9708
30 κ = 21, which is due to 1 ≥ ϵ̄m ≥ 0.9999 for m ≥ 15. +0.0078x3 + 0.8402x2
Λ(x) = 0.1229x10 + 0.0343x8
31 Both numerical values are almost identical (Table 3). This
3.9146 +0.0967x7 + 0.0391x6 2.3899
32 means that κ = 15 adequately gives a convergent result of +0.0857x3 + 0.6213x2
33 these thresholds. In the remaining part of this section, we set Λ(x) = 0.0656x10 + 0.1200x8
34 κ = 15 without specific declarations. 5.0018 +0.1964x7 + 0.1070x6 1.9724
+0.3463x3 + 0.1645x2
35 In Fig. 7, we give the average PLR of the SC-SA obtained
Λ(x) = 0.0572x10 + 0.0075x8
36 from (53) at d = 3 using density evolution. The average 6.3704 +0.5040x7 + 0.3155x6 1.5849
37 normalized offered traffic G† at PLR = 10−2 , i.e., BP +0.0855x3 + 0.0302x2
BP,Conv
38 threshold G† = 3.2906, approaches MAP thresholds
39 GMAP,blk
reg = 3.2909 and GMAP,blk = 3.2932 and is near
40 converse bound GC,blk = 3.2934 (Table 3). between the BP thresholds of the SC-SA and the optimal
41 For comparison, Fig. 7 also shows the average PLRs of IR-SA, perhaps due to the restriction of the maximum order
42 the 3-RR-SA and the optimal IR-SA obtained from (24) [6]. of polynomial Λ(x) to 10 during the optimization of the
43 The optimized distributions of IR-SAs are listed in Table 4, distribution (Table 4). Compared with the optimal IR-SA
44 which we optimize by difference evolution [22], similar to [6], the SC-SA has higher BP threshold and uniform energy
45 a previous work [6]. At PLR = 10−2 , there is a large gap consumption at a cost of multiple frames. This makes it
46 attractive in practical applications.
47 TABLE 3: Thresholds and bounds at κ = 15 and 21 Figure 8 compares the SC-SA’s BP thresholds and the d-
48 RR-SA’s MAP thresholds at κ = 2, 3, 4, and 15. The actual
BP,Conv
49 d¯ (d) κ G† GMAP,blk
reg GMAP,blk GC,blk values of the BP thresholds achieve MAP thresholds, called
50 2.0808 (2)
15 3.0463 3.0470 3.0945 3.1315 the threshold saturation effect in the LDPC code context
21 3.0463 3.0470 3.0945 3.1315
51 15 3.2906 3.2909 3.2932 3.2934
[44]. In other word, practical iterative decoding provides an
52 3.0994 (3)
21 3.2906 3.2909 3.2932 3.2934 optimal decoding performance for the SC-SA in the sense
53 3.9146 (4)
15 3.3130 3.3138 3.3139 3.3139 that the BP threshold approaches the theoretical upper bound.
54 21 3.3130 3.3138 3.3139 3.3139 In Fig. 9, at κ = 15 we show various thresholds for
15 3.3159 3.3168 3.3168 3.3169
55 5.0018 (5)
21 3.3159 3.3168 3.3168 3.3169 comparison, where the device distributions of the IR-SAs are
56 6.3704 (6)
15 3.3164 3.3173 3.3174 3.3174 given in Table 4. The numerical values of these thresholds
57 21 3.3164 3.3174 3.3174 3.3174 are also illustrated in Table 3, supplied with κ = 21. We
58
12 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 3.5
3 2
4
3
5 1.8
2-MPR [15]
6 2-MAX
1.6
7 2.5
2-MPR w/on-off [17]
8 1-MPR [5]
1.4
9 2 1-MAX
G or G†
GC,blk
GC,blk
10 1-MPR w/on-off [29]
GMAP,blk 1.2
11 1.5 GMAP,blk
12 reg
BP,Conv
13 G† 1
14 1 GBP,blk [6]
0.8
15 GBP,blk
reg [6]
16 0.5
0.6
17
18 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
19 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 ζ = k/n̄
20 ζ = 1/d¯
FIGURE 10: Converse bounds GC,blk with a) κ-
21 FIGURE 9: Thresholds versus inverse of average number of MaxDecoding at κ = 1, 2, b) K-MPRs [5] [15], and
22 ¯ Thresholds are converse bound, MAPs of d-
transmissions d: c) K-MPRs with on-off fading (packet erasure probability
23 RR-SA and IR-SA, and BP of SC-SA. Irregular and regular ϵPE = 0.1) [29] [17] at K = 1, 2.
24 BP thresholds [6] are also given for comparison. Device
25 distributions of IR-SAs are given in Table 4 and κ = 15.
26
2
27
28 conclude that over the Rayleigh block fading channels, the
1.8 2-MPR: GC,blk [15]
29 BP threshold of the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a BP,Conv
2-MPR: G† [15]
30 regular MAP threshold and is close to the tight converse MAP,blk
2-MPR: Greg
1.6
31 bound. 2-MAX: GC,blk
32
BP,Conv
Figures 10 and 11 compare the thresholds with various 2-MAX: G†
1.4 2-MAX: GMAP,blk
33 channel models: a) (κ = 1, 2)-MaxCollision with fading, b) reg
G or G†
1-MPR: GC,blk [5]

34 (K = 2)-MPR (i.e., ϵ̄1 = ϵ̄2 = 0)) [15] and (K = 1)-MPR 1-MPR: G†
BP,Conv
[5]
1.2
35 (ϵ̄1 = 0, i.e., the collision channel) [5], c) 2-MPR with on- MAP,blk
1-MPR: Greg [5]
36 off fading [17], and 1-MPR with on-off fading (i.e., packet
1
37 erasure channel) [29]. The converse bounds with the collision
38 model, i.e., 1-MPR, were given [5] and extended to MPR
0.8
39 [15] and MPR with on-off fading [17] [29]. In Fig. 10, we
40 present our converse bounds in comparison to prior results.
0.6
41 The bound with K-MPR is larger than those of the other
42 converse bounds and can be seen as an upper bound, since 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
43 the K-MPR channel model ignores the impact of channel ζ = 1/d¯
44 fading and noise. On the other hand, there is a cross between
45 the two bounds: K-MPR with on-off fading and our κ- FIGURE 11: d-RR-SA’s MAP thresholds GMAP,blk reg , SC-
46 MaxDecoding. The constant packet erasure probability ϵPE SA’s BP thresholds G†BP,Conv , and IR-SA’s converse bound
47 in K-MPR with on-off fading seems an oversimplification of GC,blk at a) (κ = 2)-MaxDecoding (with fading), b) 2-,
48 of the effect of channel fading. Our work on fading is more and c) 1-MPRs [15] [5].
49 practical and includes K-MPR as a special case of ϵ̄m = 0
50 for m = 1, 2, . . . , K.
51 Figure 11 gives the MAP thresholds of the IR-SAs, the BP threshold with 2-MaxDecoding. Furthermore, this effect was
52 thresholds of the SC-SAs, and the converse bounds of IR-SAs also observed in 2-MPR. Note that the MAP threshold in (37)
53 with various channel models. In the past, the MAP threshold can be determined for 2-MPR by setting ϵ̄1 and ϵ̄2 to zero.
54 was derived only for the collision channel (i.e., 1-MPR) and Finally, we provide the simulation results of the SC-SA
55 was approached by its BP threshold [5]. In our Rayleigh systems to verify the effectiveness of the BP thresholds. Fig-
56 fading, this threshold saturation effect was also confirmed ures 12 and 13 show the PLRs and the normalized through-
57 by observing that the BP threshold approaches the MAP puts of SC-SA with α = 100 and M = 200, 500, 100, and
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 13
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 100 100
3
4 M → ∞ (DE) M → ∞ (DE)
5 M = 10000 M = 10000
M = 1000 M = 1000
6 10−1
M = 500
10−1
M = 500
7 M = 200 M = 200
8
9
PLR
PLR
10−2 10−2
10
11
12
13 10−3 10−3
14
15
16
17 10−41.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 10−42.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
18 G† G†
19 (a) PLR (a) PLR
20
21 3 3
22
23 2.5
M → ∞ (DE)
2.5
M → ∞ (DE)
M = 10000 M = 10000
24 M = 1000 M = 1000
25 M = 500 M = 500
26 2 M = 200 2 M = 200
27
Throughput
Throughput
28 1.5 1.5
29
30
31 1 1
32
33 0.5 0.5
34
35
0 0
36 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
37 G† G†
38 (b) Throughput (b) Throughput
39
40 FIGURE 12: κ = 2: (a) PLRs and (b) throughputs of SC- FIGURE 13: κ = 3: (a) PLRs and (b) throughputs of SC-SAs
41 SAs by simulation and by density evolution (DE). (d = 3, with identical parameters as in Fig. 12.
42 L = 100 and H = 10000.)
43
44
45 10000 at κ = 2 and κ = 3. As expected, a rise in the number
of slots per frame M yields an increase of the traffic for domain’s area. The converse bound is tight. Moreover, we
46 derived an MAP threshold, following the coincidence of the
47 which the target PLR, e.g., 10−2 , is achieved and is close
to the asymptotic BP threshold. Our analysis, which uses an BP and MAP EXIT curves. We also produced a BP decoding
48 threshold for a spatially-coupled scheme. Numerical results
49 asymptotic approach, is in agreement with the simulations
that were done on a finite number of slots as the number of show that it achieves the threshold saturation effect.
50
51 slots increases. Although we limited this paper to IR-SA systems, the
52 converse bound can be straightforwardly extended to C-
53 VI. CONCLUSIONS SA systems. A future challenge will give a close-formed
54 We asymptotically analyzed the decoding performance of IR- expression of trail entropy for C-SA systems, which play a
55 SA systems over Rayleigh block fading channels. We derived key role in computing the MAP threshold.
56 a converse bound based on the fact that the sum of the
57 two areas below two EXIT curves is smaller than the entire
58
14 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 APPENDIX A ERROR PROBABILITY OF DECODING [6] F. Clazzer, E. Paolini, I. Mambelli, and Č. Stefanović, “Irregular repetition
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8 ing order from the largest SNR to the lowest. There are at slotted ALOHA in an information-theoretic setting,” in IEEE International
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18 replica was successfully decoded at the t-th step means that access: applying codes on graphs to design random access protocols,”
19 there are t−1 replicas whose SNRs exceed that of the chosen IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 53, no. 6, pp. 144–150, 2015.
20 replica. The number of arrangements for these t−1 replicas
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21 is (m−1) P(t−1) = (m−1)!
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24 arrangement, the following is the probability that at least t [15] Č. Stefanović, E. Paolini, and G. Liva, “Asymptotic performance of coded
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26 ters, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 105–108, 2018.
Γ1 Γt [16] Z. Sun, Y. Xie, J. Yuan, and T. Yang, “Coded slotted ALOHA for
27 Pr P m > η0 , · · · , P m > η0 (55) erasure channels: Design and throughput analysis,” IEEE Transactions on
28 1 + i=2 Γi 1 + i=t+1 Γi Communications, vol. 65, no. 11, pp. 4817–4830, 2017.
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30 = Pr Γ1 > η0 (1 + Γi ), · · · , Γt > η0 (1 + Γi ) ALOHA over the on-off fading channel: Performance bounds,” in 53rd
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31 Z ∞
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32 1 [18] J. Su, G. Ren, and B. Zhao, “NOMA-based coded slotted ALOHA for
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34 γm γ1
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15 [35] C. R. Srivatsa and C. R. Murthy, “On the impact of channel estimation on
16 the design and analysis of IRSA based systems,” IEEE Transactions on
Signal Processing, vol. 70, pp. 4186–4200, 2022.
17 [36] S. Saha, V. B. Sukumaran, and C. R. Murthy, “On the minimum average
18 age of information in IRSA for grant-free mMTC,” IEEE Journal on
19 Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 1441–1455, 2021.
[37] Y. Huang, J. Jiao, Y. Wang, S. Wu, R. Lu, and Q. Zhang, “G-SC-IRSA:
TOMOTAKA KIMURA (member, IEEE) re-
20 Graph-based spatially coupled IRSA for age-critical grant-free massive
ceived the B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees in
communications engineering from Osaka Univer-
21 access,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal (Early Access), pp. 1–15, 2023.
sity, Japan, in 2008, 2010, and 2015, respectively.
[38] Z. Chen, Y. Feng, Z. Tian, Y. Jia, M. Wang, and T. Q. S. Quek, “Energy
22 efficiency optimization for irregular repetition slotted ALOHA-based mas- From April 2015 to March 2018, he was an As-
23 sive access,” IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. sistant Professor with the Department of Electri-
24 982–986, 2022. cal Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo
[39] Z. Chen, Y. Feng, C. Feng, L. Liang, Y. Jia, and T. Q. S. Quek, “Analytic University of Science. From April 2018 to March
25 distribution design for irregular repetition slotted ALOHA with multi- 2020, he was an Assistant Professor with the De-
26 packet reception,” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. 72, partment of Intelligent Information Engineering
27 no. 1, pp. 1360–1365, 2023. and Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University,
[40] S. J. Johnson, Iterative Error Correction: Turbo, Low-Density Parity-
28 Check and Repeat-Accumulate Codes. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Kyoto, Japan, where he is currently an Associate Professor. His research
interests include performance analysis and designs of communication net-
29 Press, 2010. works. He is a member of IEICE, IEEJ, and JSAI.
30 [41] T. M. Cover and J. A. Thomas, Elements of Information Theory (Wiley
Series in Telecommunications and Signal Processing). USA: Wiley-
31 Interscience, 2006.
32 [42] I. S. Gradshteyn and I. M. Ryzhik, Table of Integrals, Series, and Products,
33 7th ed. Elsevier/Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2007.
[43] C. Measson, A. Montanari, and R. Urbanke, “Maxwell construction: The
34 hidden bridge between iterative and maximum a posteriori decoding,” JUN CHENG (member, IEEE) received B.S.
35 IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 54, no. 12, pp. 5277–5307, and M.S. degrees in telecommunications engineer-
36 2008. ing from Xidian University, Xi’an, China, in 1984
[44] S. Kudekar, T. J. Richardson, and R. L. Urbanke, “Threshold saturation via and 1987, and a Ph.D. degree in electrical engi-
37 spatial coupling: Why convolutional ldpc ensembles perform so well over neering from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
38 the BEC,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. in 2000. Currently, he is a professor in the Depart-
39 803–834, 2011. ment of Intelligent Information Engineering and
40 Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto.
From 1987 to 1994, he was an assistant profes-
41 sor and lecturer in the Department of Information
42 Engineering, Xidian University. From 1995 to 1996, he was an associate
43 professor in the National Key Laboratory on Integrated Service Network,
44 Xidian University. In April 2000, he joined ATR Adaptive Communications
Research Laboratories, Kyoto, where he became a visiting researcher. From
45 August 2002 to June 2003, he was a staff engineer at the R&D Center,
46 Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. (formerly Wireless Solution
47 YUHEI TAKAHASHI received B.S. and M.S. Labs., Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.), Yokosuka. From
degrees from the Department of Intelligent Infor-
48 mation Engineering and Sciences, Doshisha Uni-
July 2003 to March 2004, he was a staff engineer at the Next-Generation
Mobile Communications Development Center, Matsushita Electric Indus-
49 versity, Kyoto, Japan in 2021 and 2023. He is now trial Co., Ltd., Yokosuka. In April 2004, he joined Doshisha University,
50 with Rail Systems Busines Unit, Japan LoB Rail Kyoto. From October 2016 to September 2017, he was a visiting scholar
51 Control & Signalling, Hitachi, Ltd.. His research with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M
interests are in the areas of coding theory and radio
52 communication systems.
University.
His research interests are in the areas of communications theory, informa-
53 tion theory, coding theory, array signal processing, and radio communication
54 systems.
55
56
57
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2 Date of publication xxxx 00, 0000, date of current version xxxx 00, 0000.
3 Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2017.DOI
4
5
6
7 Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA
8
9 over Rayleigh Block Fading Channels:
10
11 Bounds and Threshold Saturation via
12
13
14
Spatial Coupling
15
16 YUHEI TAKAHASHI1 , GUANGHUI SONG2 , (MEMBER, IEEE),
17 TOMOTAKA KIMURA1 , (MEMBER, IEEE), AND JUN CHENG1 , (MEMBER, IEEE)
1
Department of Intelligent Information Engineering and Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
18 2
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Services Networks, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China
19 Corresponding author: Jun Cheng (e-mail: jcheng@ieee.org).
20
21
22
23 ABSTRACT In irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) systems over Rayleigh block fading channels,
24 a population of devices transmits their packets to an access point (AP) within a frame of slots. The
25 AP decodes these packets by iterative processing between intra- and inter-slot successive interference
26 cancellations. The average normalized offered traffic, as a performance metric, represents the number of
27 packets transmitted per slot when the packet loss rate approaches zero. Such asymptotic types of traffic
28 as the belief propagation (BP) threshold, the maximum a posteriori (MAP) threshold, and the converse
29 bound of IR-SA systems have been analyzed over various channel models. However, over fading channels,
30 the MAP threshold and the converse bound have not yet been investigated. An asymptotic analysis of the
31 traffic for systems is given. This paper derives an MAP threshold and a converse bound of the systems over
32 Rayleigh block fading channels. The derivations are based on two extrinsic information transfer (EXIT)
33 curves, which are associated with two iterative density evolution equations to analyze the BP threshold of
34 the IR-SA systems. First, since an open decoding tunnel exists in an EXIT chart, the sum of the two areas
35 below two EXIT curves is smaller than the area of the entire domain. This gives the converse bound of the
36 traffic, which is tight. This provides the traffic’s converse bound, which is tight. Second, a coincidence of
37 the BP EXIT and MAP EXIT curves makes it possible to derive the traffic’s MAP threshold of traffic. Third,
38 a density evolution for a spatially-coupled scheme is formulated and gives a BP decoding threshold of the
39 traffic. Numerical results show that the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a threshold saturation effect that
40 where the BP threshold approaches to the MAP threshold.
41
42 INDEX TERMS belief propagation (BP) threshold, extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) curve, maximum
43 a posteriori (MAP) threshold, slotted ALOHA, spatial coupling
44
45
46 I. INTRODUCTION bound of the slotted ALOHA-type schemes over the collision
47 channel model [5]. In this paper, we further investigate IR-
48 ASSIVE Machine Type Communications (mMTC),
49
50
M which is a potential application of the sixth generation
(6G) of wireless technology, is anticipated to provide wire-
SAs and derive their theoretical bounds over Rayleigh block
fading channels. The bounds are approached by a practical,
iterative decoding process.
51 less connectivity to a large number of devices [1]. Random
52 access schemes [2], which evolved from slotted ALOHAs
53 (SAs) [3], are regarded as a class of promising solutions A. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND OUR OBJECTIVE
54 for mMTC since such devices transmit their data without In IR-SA systems [4], [6]–[11], NT devices transmit their
55 pre-establishing connections and pre-requesting channel re- packets to an access point (AP) within a frame of M time
56 sources. Among these random access schemes, irregular rep- slots. Each device generates a single packet with activation
57 etition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) [4] achieves a theoretical probability π ≪ 1 and transmits its replica a variable number
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2 of times (irregular repetition) to several slots. Repetition especially when the MAP threshold is unknown.
3 times l of an active device is drawn from probability distribu- Over Rayleigh fading channels, the BP threshold of IR-SA
4 tion {Λl }. systems was investigated [6]. In this paper, our objective is
5 In the receiver, AP recovers the packets obtained in the to derive the MAP threshold and the converse bound of the
6 frame. Within a slot, AP may successfully decode some systems over Rayleigh fading channels. We show that the BP
7 replicas, for example, with a fading channel model, if their threshold of a spatially-coupled scheme approaches the MAP
8 signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) exceeds a cer- threshold.
9 tain threshold, and the decoded replicas are removed by
10 intra-slot successive interference cancellation (SIC). When B. RELATED WORKS
11 a replica has been decoded successfully, all other replicas The extensively studied traditional SA [3] has been imple-
12 from the same device are removed from their accessed slots mented in various commercial communication systems and
13 by inter-slot SICs. AP repeats these intra- and inter-slot SICs standards [2]. Nevertheless, its maximum offered traffic is
14 until no packets can be decoded. only 1/e. The offered traffic was improved by the diversity
15 IR-SA systems have a special case of Λd = 1, referred as of transmission, which transmits a packet multiple times
16 to d-regular repetition slotted ALOHA (d-RR-SA) systems. [20]. Noteworthy advances have been achieved by combining
17 Moreover, IR-SA systems, where each device repeatedly transmission diversity and SIC at the AP [4] [12] [21]. Such
18 transmits its packet replicas, are the repetition code case of a combination enables us to constructively exploit collisions
19 a generic linear block code in coded slotted ALOHA (C-SA) by canceling interference due to correctly received packets to
20 systems [12]–[18]. In this paper, we focus on IR-RA systems allow the possible recovery of other initially collided packets.
21 and evaluate their asymptotic performance.
22 The average normalized offered traffic, denoted by G = The collision channel model without erasures [4] [5] [7]
23 πNT /M , is one performance metric commonly adopted in [13] [21] is a simple and popular channel model that mainly
24 IR-SA systems. Traffic G represents the average number analyzes the asymptotic decoding performance of IR-SA sys-
25 of packets transmitted per slot when the packet loss rate tems. The collision model assumes that a) noise and fading
26 (PLR) of the systems approaches 0 or lower than a target can be neglected, such that a transmission can be decoded
27 value for fading channels. Offered traffic G is equivalent from a singleton slot by default, and b) no transmission can
28 to a throughout. Let NT /M be constant. We are interested be decoded from a collision slot. With the collision model,
29 in the asymptotic (M → ∞) decoding performance of G, Casini, Gaudenzi, and Herrero proposed a 2-RR-SA system
30 which depends on probability distribution {Λl }, which must called the contention diversity slotted ALOHA (CRDSA)
31 be optimized. scheme [21], where an active device transmits twin replicas
32 Threshold value Gth exits such that when G < Gth , all of each packet within a frame, and the AP adopts an inter-slot
33 the transmitted packets are successfully decoded. Conversely, SIC for resolving collisions. It promotes maximum offered
34 if G > Gth , then a fraction of the devices’ packets will traffic G to about 0.55. Liva identified the key analogies
35 undoubtedly not fail to be successfully delivered [12]. of inter-slot SIC with iterative erasure recovery in channel
36 Resembling the decoding analysis of low-density parity- coding theory [19] and extended d-RR-SA to an irregular
37 check (LDPC) code over a binary erasure channel (BEC) approach [4]. The inter-slot SIC process can be well modeled
38 [19], for IR-SA systems, such analysis of the following is by a bipartite graph [4] and resembles the density evolution of
39 interesting: asymptotic decoding thresholds Gth as a belief LDPC codes over BEC [19]. By exploiting design techniques
40 propagation (BP) threshold, a maximum a posteriori (MAP) for the LDPC code context, device node degree distribution
41 threshold, and a converse bound is interesting. Density evolu- {Λl } is optimized by differential evolution [22], and the
42 tion [4] describes the iterative procedure between the erasure asymptotic BP decoding threshold was is given by the den-
43 probabilities (or beliefs) of devices and slots during iterative sity revolution evolution. When the order of the distribution
44 intra- and inter-slot decoding. The threshold, obtained by polynomial is asymptotic, the optimal distribution is the well-
45 the density evolution, is referred to as BP threshold GBP known soliton distribution and resulting traffic G can be
46 [4] that can be achieved in practice. Packet-wise (bit-wise arbitrarily close to 1 [7].
47 in an LDPC code context) MAP decoding maximizes the Over the collision channel model, the converse bound and
48 posterior probability of each packet and gives MAP threshold the MAP decoding threshold of IR-SA systems were given
49 GMAP [5]. The MAP threshold, which is the highest per- [5] [13]. The former was established by observing that the
50 formance when not addressing the complexity of decoding, sum of the two areas below the two extrinsic information
51 is the upper limit of practical decoding, such as the BP transfer (EXIT) curves is less 1 [13]. The converse bound
52 threshold. Converse bound GC [13] [17] [5] expresses an It is tight in the sense that the BP thresholds are close to the
53 impossibility threshold to be approached and is tight if the bound it. The MAP threshold [5] was derived by the area
54 MAP or BP thresholds are close to the bound. Although it is theorem in the context of the LDPC code [23]. However, we
55 comparatively simple to get a converse bound, calculating a observe that the value of the MAP threshold is approximate
56 MAP threshold is usually difficult. If the converse bound is when normalized population size α = NT /M is large
57 tight, it can be used as an upper bound for the BP threshold, enough. A spatially-coupled scheme was proposed, and the
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2 corresponding schemes are referred to as spatially-coupled slot (given by I) is less than a given threshold ∆, all the
3 slotted ALOHA (SC-SA) systems. The BP threshold under packets transmitted in this slot are erasure with probability
4 iterative inter-slot SIC processing with the spatially-coupled Pr(I < ∆). The slot erasure channel model assumes that all
5 scheme saturates towards the MAP threshold [5]. which is the packets transmitted are erased with slot erasure proba-
6 approximate when normalized population size α = NT /M bility ϵSE in the slot within which a stronger external in-
7 is large enough. terference may overwhelm all the transmitted packets. Over
8 The collision channel model considers only collisions for the two erasure channels, the device node degree distribu-
9 transmitted packets or replicas. A generalization of the colli- tion is optimized by linear programming to maximize their
10 sion channel model is represented by multi packet reception corresponding BP thresholds. Moreover, converse bounds
11 (MPR) channels [9] [15]. In a basic K-MPR channel model, for the erasure channels were derived [29]. In the erasure
12 an AP is assumed to be able to successfully decode all the channel models, however, erasure probabilities ϵPE and ϵSE
13 packets in the slots where no more K colliding replicas are constant and no practical fading channels are addressed.
14 are present and to extract no information from slots where The packet erasure channel is also called an on-off fading
15 over K packets are interfering with each other. Note that channel [29] [30]. A K-MPR channel model with on-off
16 the K-MPR channel model with K = 1 is reduced to the fading [17] was introduced to perform contention within a
17 collision channel model. Over the K-MPR channel model, a slot in C-SA systems. Each transmitted replica is erased,
18 BP threshold analysis of the IR-SA systems was conducted i.e., faded by the channel with at a certain probability. If the
19 [9]. Subsequently in the C-SA systems, the converse bound number of non-erased replicas is smaller than or equal to K
20 was established, and the numerical results in K = 1, 2, 3 in a slot, then all are perfectly decoded; otherwise, no replicas
21 show that the BP threshold of the spatially-coupled scheme can be recovered from it. The BP threshold and the converse
22 saturates towards the bound [15]. bound are derived, and the numerical results show that the
23 Coding for the noiseless binary adder channel model [8] BP threshold former with a spatially-coupled scheme is close
24 [11] gives a practical implementation of the intra-slot SIC to the bound [17].
25 for IR-SA systems over the K-MPR channels. For the binary Although the analysis on collision channels [4] [13] [5]
26 adder channel, the channel’s output is the sum (being over and MPR channels [9] [15] is helpful for basic insights into
27 the reals) of the multiple binary inputs [24] [25] [26]. In IR-SA and C-SA systems, unfortunately, it neglects the im-
28 such systems, a codebook is common and shared with all the pact of fading and noise in wireless transmission. Although
29 devices. Each message is encoded, and the produced packet is erasure channels [16] [17] consider fading to a certain extent,
30 a the corresponding codeword of the codebook is transmitted they fail to describe adequately its impact in wireless sce-
31 as a packet or its replicas. Within a slot, AP can resolve the narios. In addition, a power-domain non-orthogonal multiple
32 collisions of up to K packet replicas. In a regime of practical access (NOMA) was recently incorporated into both IR-SA
33 interests, a codebook is constructed as a parity-check matrix [10] [31] and C-SA [18] systems. By setting the target level
34 of BCH code [8] [24]. Currently, a random codebook [11] of the received power, the power loss due to channel fading
35 enhances the MPR capability by resolving more colliding is compensated. In these systems, however, channel state
36 packets. information (CSI) is assumed to be perfectly known by the
37 The basic K-MPR channel model assumes that an intra- devices. The path loss (correlated to distance) channel model
38 SIC can always be applied perfectly. The probability that that neglects the fading and shadowing effect was consid-
39 a packet cannot be correctly subtracted in a slot due to an ered for IR-SA systems [32], where devices are uniformly
40 imperfect intra-SIC was taken into account in the IR-SA [27]. distributed on a disk of radius 1. Error probability ϵ̄m that
41 The optimal device node distribution that maximizes a BP decodes the packet replica from the m-collision signal is
42 decoding threshold was derived by density evolution with calculated by Monte-Carlo estimations and combined with
43 an imperfect intra-SIC. Moreover, IR-SA’s random nature density evolution to evaluate system performance.
44 results in a large dynamic range of received power that cannot In wireless scenarios, the impact of fading must be ad-
45 be recovered under a practical quantizer. An SIC limit exists, dressed. In the context of slotted ALOHA, the MPR capa-
46 i.e., a limit on the maximum number of packets that can be bility is enhanced by incorporating intra-SIC processing over
47 recovered in each slot, and was resolved in IR-SA analysis fading channels [33], since fading causes power variations
48 [28]. among signals observed in collision slots, and sufficiently
49 Erasure channel models, including both packet and slot strong signals may be decoded.
50 erasure channels, were considered in the design of C-SA The Rayleigh block fading channel is one standardly used
51 systems [16]. When a transmitted packet or replica experi- model for evaluating the performance of wireless systems
52 ences deep fading, in the packet erasure channel model, the [34]. Over such a channel, decoding is considered where m
53 packet is assumed to be erased and the corresponding erasure packets or replicas are received within a slot. A reference
54 probability is ϵPE =Pr(|h| < η0 ), where h is the fading coef- packet with SINR η is successfully decoded if η > η0 ,
55 ficient and η0 is a given threshold. In the slot erasure channel where η0 is a decoding threshold according to Shannon’s the-
56 model, when the ratio of the sum of the received powers orem. The intra-SIC further enhances the decoding capacity
57 to the power of the external interference plus noise in a within the slot. Clazzer, Paolini, Mambelli, and Stefanović
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2 [6] derived an exact expression of average error probability ration effect through which the BP decoding threshold
3 with threshold decoding and intra-SIC. The average error approaches the MAP threshold.
4 probability, denoted by ϵ̄m , for decoding a randomly chosen The rest of our paper is organized as follows. Section II
5 packet replica under m − 1 interferences is expressed as a reviews IR-SA systems, including a preliminary graph-based
6 function of decoding threshold η0 and the average received analysis and a density evolution. We derive the converse
7 SNR of the signal from each device (Appendix A). With bound over the Rayleigh block fading channels in Sec-
8 average error probability ϵ̄m , the density evolution for IR-SA tion III-A. Next, following a definition of a BP EXIT function
9 systems gives a BP threshold with an optimized device node in parametric form, we formulate an analysis of the MAP
10 degree distribution {Λl } [6]. Moreover, an IR-SA system was threshold in Section III-B. A spatially-coupled scheme over
11 analyzed that uses multiple antennas at the AP over Rayleigh fading channels is presented and its BP decoding threshold
12 block fading channels [35]. When a perfect CSI is available is given in Section IV. Numerical and simulation results are
13 at the AP, average error probability ϵ̄m is approximately shown in Section V, and finally Section VI concludes the
14 expressed in a closed form. The BP threshold obtained by paper.
15 density evolution with ϵ̄m provides an upper bound on the
16 thresholds with an estimated CSI. II. IRREGULAR REPETITION SLOTTED ALOHA:
17 Summarizing the analysis of the above IR-SA systems, BP PRELIMINARIES
18 thresholds have been thoroughly investigated with various This section reviews IR-SA systems and their preliminaries.
19 channel models [4] [6] [7] [9] [16] [17] [35]. Converse The density evolution, which plays a key role in deriving
20 bounds have been analyzed with collision [5] [13] [14], the converse bound and the MAP threshold in Sections III-A
21 erasure [29], K-MPR [15], K-MPR with on-off fading [17], and III-B, will be extended to a spatially-coupled scheme in
22 and binary adder channel [8] models. The MAP threshold Section IV.
23 is only formulated with the collision model [5]. To the best
24 of our knowledge, little analysis has focused on the MAP A. TRANSMISSION AND GRAPH REPRESENTATION [4]
25 threshold and the converse bound over the Rayleigh fading We consider graph-based IR-SA systems [4] [5] where a total
26 channel model. of NT devices want to transmit their packets to an AP. A
27 For IR-SA systems, this paper focuses on the maximiza- medium access control frame consisting of M time slots is
28 tion of the offered traffic. The minimization of the age of assumed as to be a contention duration, where the length of
29 information over collision channels can be found [2] [36] each slot corresponds to a packet’s duration. At the beginning
30 [37], and the maximization of device energy efficiency over of a frame, each device generates with activation probability
31 1- and 2-MPR channels has been studied [38] [39]. Interested π ≪ 1 a message, which is encoded into a codeword, called a
32 readers are referred to these works and references cited packet, with common channel code Cch with at rate Rch . The
33 therein for more detailed description. l replicas of the packet with probability Λl , selected from
34 probability distribution {Λl }l1max , are transmitted to l slots
35 within the frame, where each replica embeds pointers to slots
C. OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
36 containing the otherP replicas. The average number of replicas
37 In this paper, we perform an asymptotic analysis of IR-SA lmax
per device is d¯ = ¯
l=1 lΛl , and its inverse ζ = 1/d is a
38 systems with the Rayleigh fading channel model and make
measure of the energy efficiency of IR-SA systems [8] [17].
39 the following contributions:
Note that in d-RR-SA systems, Λd = 1.
40 1) We establish a converse bound of average normalized Devices attempting transmission within a frame are de-
41 offered traffic GC . An open decoding tunnel exists in scribed as active, and those that are idle within a frame are
42 the EXIT chart, and the sum of the two areas below the called inactive. Let Na be a random variable representing
43 two EXIT curves is smaller than the entire domain’s the number of active devices whose expectation is E(Na ) =
44 area. This situation helps us derive the converse bound. πNT . Let α = NT /M be the normalized population size,
45 The bound is tight in the sense that both the MAP which is the ratio of the total number of devices to the frame
46 decoding and the explicit spatially-coupled schemes size. The average normalized offered traffic is defined as
47 approach closer to the bound. G = πNT /M = πα, which represents the average number
48 2) We derive a MAP decoding threshold of the average of packet transmissions per slot.
49 normalized offered traffic. The coincidence of the BP The above transmission frame status is also described as
50 and MAP EXIT curves makes it possible to derive bipartite graph G = (D, S, E), where D is the a set of NT
51 a MAP threshold, which is exact for any value of device nodes (DNs), S is the a set of M slot nodes (SNs),
52 normalized population size α and serves as a guideline and E is the a set of edges. An edge connects DN di ∈ D to
53 for practical access schemes. SN sj ∈ S if and only if the j-th slot was selected by the i-th
54 3) We present a density evolution algorithm for an explicit device at the beginning of the frame. In addition, a residual
55 spatially-coupled scheme and derive its BP decoding graph (denoted by Ga ) is one by removing a graph removed
56 threshold. We observe from the numerical results that from G, the DNs associated with inactive devices and their
57 the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a threshold satu- adjacent edges from G [5] [17]. In this paper, we use the
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2 graph representation of G by treating activation probability When NT → ∞, the number of edges l follows a Poisson
3 π as an the erasure probability of BEC in the LDPC context. distribution. With e−x = limn→∞ (1 − nx )n , it holds that [4]
4 ′ ′ ¯
5 B. DEGREE DISTRIBUTIONS Ψ(x) = e−Ψ (1)(1−x) = e−Λ (1)NT /M (1−x) = e−αd(1−x) , (9)
6 1) Degree distributions: basic [40]
7 where d¯ ≜ Λ′ (1) and α = NT /M . From (6), it follows that
We briefly review the node-perspective degree distributions
8 of graph G, which are represented and represent them by the ρ(x) = e−αd(1−x)
¯
(10)
9 following polynomials [40]:
10 with Poisson distribution
lX NT
11 max X ¯ l−1
¯ (αd)
Λ(x) = Λl xl and Ψ(x) = Ψl xl , (1) ρl = e−αd
12 (l − 1)!
, l = 1, 2, . . . . (11)
l=1 l=0
13
14 where Λl (Ψl ) is the probability that a DN (SN) has l edges
C. FADING CHANNELS AND DECODING PROCESSING
15 connected to SNs (DNs). A node (DN or SN) is degree-l
1) Decoding within a slot: intra-slot SICs
16 if l edges are connected to the node it. The following are
the average numbers of edges per DN and per SN: are, Consider a generic slot in a frame, e.g., the j-th slot, at
17 some point during decoding. For compact notation, we ignore
18 respectively,
index j in this section. Assuming m packet collisions, the
19 lX
max NT
X superimposed signal in the slot is
20 d¯ ≜ Λ′ (1) = lΛl and Ψ′ (1) = lΨl , (2)
21
X
l=1 l=0 y= hi xi + z. (12)
22 where Ψ′ (x) (Λ′ (x)) is the first-order derivative of function i∈R
23 Ψ(x) (Λ(x)). Moreover, the number of edges connected to Here xi ∈ Cch is a codeword (or packet) of channel code
24 DNs is identical to that to of SNs: Cch with rate Rch and length n, transmitted by device i,
25 assuming it accessed the slot. Set R is the collection of
26 NT Λ′ (1) = M Ψ′ (1). (3)
devices with packets or replicas that access the slot at this
27 Degree distributions are also defined from an edge per- point and |R| = m. Vector z ∼ CN (0, σ 2 I) is additive,
28 spective. The polynomials are [40] circularly symmetric complex Gaussian (CSCG) noise with
29 mean 0 and diagonal covariance matrix σ 2 I with noise power
lX NT
30
max X
λ(x) = λl xl−1 and ρ(x) = ρl xl−1 , (4) σ 2 and identity matrix I. Coefficient hi ∼ CN (0, σh2 = 1)
31 is channel fading for device i to the AP at the slot, and the
l=1 l=1
32 channel coefficient remains constant for a slot (i.e., a block
33 where λl (ρl ) is the fraction of edges that are connected to a
degree-l DN (SN). of n consecutive coded symbols) and changes to another
34 slot. All devices are subject to the same power constraint
35 By definition, edge-perspective degree distributions can be
represented by node-perspective distributions [40]: ∥xi ∥2 /n ≤ P , and the received SNR of the signal from
36 device i is Γi = P |hi |2 /σ 2 .
37 lΛl lΨl
For the Rayleigh distribution of |hi |, the SNR of Γi is
λl = Plmax and ρl = PNT (5)
38
l=1 lΛl l=0 lΨl exponentially distributed [34]:
39 1 −x
40 Λ′ (x) Ψ′ (x) Γ̄
e Γ̄ , x > 0,
λ(x) = and ρ(x) = ′ . (6) pΓ (x) = (13)
41 ′
Λ (1) Ψ (1) 0, x ≤ 0,
42
43 where Γ̄ = σP2 σh2 is the average received SNR of the signal
2) Degree distributions: graph-based IR-SAs [4] n
44 from each device.

In graph-based IR-SA systems, DN degree distribution Λ(x)
45 We next consider the decoding in the slot of a reference
can be optimized. This section describes the derivation of SN
46 codeword, e.g., xi0 . The SINR is
degree distribution Ψ(x) for a given Λ(x).
47 Since Ψ′ (1) is the average number of packet collisions per P |h |2 Γi0
48 η i0 ≜ P i0 = . (14)
slot, the probability that a device transmits a replica of its
P
σ2 + u∈R\i0 P |hu |
2 1+ u∈R\i0 Γu
49
′
packet within a given slot is ΨN(1) . Thus, the probability that
50
T
an SN possesses l edges is [4] Shannon’s theorem [41] shows that xi0 is successfully de-
51 ′ l N −l coded if the SINR exceeds a certain SNR threshold η0 . Error
52 NT Ψ (1) Ψ′ (1) T probability ϵ is
Ψl = 1− . (7)
53 l NT NT
0, ηi0 > η0 ,
54 The corresponding pronominal is ϵ= (15)
1, ηi0 ≤ η0 ,
55 NT N
Ψ′ (1)(1 − x) T

56 Ψ(x) =
X
Ψl xl = 1 − . (8) where the SNR threshold satisfies Rch = log2 (1 + η0 ) for
57 l=0
NT code Cch of rate Rch [41]. Note that in our decoding, we
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 5
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 assume that the AP has the perfect channel state information message from the SN group to the BN group in the ℓ-th
3 and has a number of packet collisions. iteration is [4] [6]
4 When codeword xi0 is successfully decoded, hi0 xi0 is ∞
5
X
ℓ
removed from y. This processing, referred to as intra-slot q= ρk · ℓq (k) . (17)
6 SIC, is repeated until no codewords exist whose SINRs k=1
7 exceed threshold η0 . For the intra-slot SICs, the average error Here ρk is the fraction of edges connected to an SN of degree-
8 probability of decoding a randomly chosen packet replica k (11), and ℓq (k) is the probability that an edge carries an
9 from the m-collision signal of (12) is exactly expressed in erasure message, given that it is connected to the SN of
10 a closed-form (see Appendix A) [6]. degree-k. The erasure probability of the degree-k SN is [6]
11
12 k
ℓ (k)
X k−1
13 2) Decoding between slots: inter-slot SICs q = 1− (1−ℓp)k−m ( ℓp)m−1 (1−ϵ̄m ), (18)
m−1
14 When some packets (codewords) are successfully decoded m=1
15 within a slot, their replicas are removed from those slots where the summation is over all possible values 1 ≤ m ≤ k.
16 indicated by those packets. This processing is referred to as Next we explain the terms in the summation:
17 an inter-slot SIC. Note that we assume that the AP possesses k−1

1) Term m−1 (1 − ℓp)k−m ( ℓp)m−1 corresponds to the
18 perfect channel state information, which is required to re- probability that the degree of the SN is reduced to m.
19 move these replicas. In other words, among k − 1 edges, m − 1 edges are
20 The intra- and inter-slot SIC processings can be described unknown, and the remaining k − m edges have been
21 as a successive removal of edges in bipartite graphs G and revealed due to inter-slot SICs.
22 Ga . When a packet from a device (or a DN) is successfully 2) (1 − ϵ̄m ) is the probability that the SN corresponding
23 decoded within a slot (or an SN), the corresponding edge to the outgoing edge is decoded successfully when the
24 connected to the SN is removed due to the intra-slot SIC, and reduced degree of the SN is m. In other words, within a
25 all the l edges connected to the same DN are removed due to slot of k packets, after removing k−m packets with the
26 the inter-slot SIC. help of inter-slot SICs, we decode a randomly chosen
27 packet replica among the remaining m packets. The
28 D. ASYMPTOTIC ANALYSIS: DENSITY EVOLUTION error probability that decodes the packet replica from
29 the m-collision signal is (Appendix A) [6]:
We now review the density evolution algorithm [6] with
30 m 1 t
31
constant α = NT /M to evaluate the asymptotic (M → ∞) X (m − 1)! e− Γ̄ ((1+η0 ) −1)
performance of graph-based IR-SA systems over Rayleigh ϵ̄m = 1 − . (19)
32 t=1
(m − t)! (1 + η0 )t(m−(t+1)/2)
block fading channels.
33 Inserting (11) into (17), we have
34 As NT and M approach infinity, bipartite graph G be-
35 comes a protograph in the form of probability [4] [40]. ∞ k
k−1

ℓ (a) k−m ℓ m−1
X X
36 Now we review the density evolution algorithm [6] from the q = 1− ρk (1−ℓp) ( p) (1−ϵ̄m )
m−1
37 protograph. k=1 m=1
∞ ℓ m−1 ∞
38 We refer to the DNs (SNs) as the DN (SN) group. For the (b) p (1−ϵm ) X (k−1)! k−m
X
= 1− ρk (1− ℓp) ,
39 ℓ-th iteration, let ℓp be the probability that an edge incident (m−1)! (k−m)!
m=1 k=m
40 on the DN group carries an erasure message towards SNs. P∞ k−1

41 Similarly, let ℓq be the probability that an edge incident on the where we used k=1 ρk = 1 in (a) and m−1 =
(k−1)!
42 SN group carries an erasure message towards the DN groups.
(m−1)!(k−m)! in (b). We rewrite the second term of the
43 First, consider the DN group, which has degree distribution summation:
44 λ(x). For an DN with degree-l, the probability that an edge X∞
(k − 1)! k−m
45 emanating from it carries an erasure message towards the SN ρk (1 − ℓp)
(k − m)!
46 group is π · (ℓ−1)q l−1 , where (ℓ−1)q l−1 is the probability that k=m
47 the other l − 1 incoming messages to the DN are erased, and ∞ ¯ − ℓp) k−m

(c) −αd¯ ¯ m−1 X αd(1
48 π is the activation probability of the devices. Averaging over = e (αd)
(k − m)!
49 all the edges in the protograph gives the average probability k=m
50 that a DN-to-SN message is erased [4] [5]: (d) ¯ m−1 e−αd¯ ℓp ,

= (αd)
51
52 lX
max where we used (11) in (c)Pand the Maclaurin series of
∞ xi
53 ℓ
p=π λl · (ℓ−1)q l−1 = πλ( (ℓ−1)q). (16) exponential function ex = i=0 i! in (d). Therefore, we
54 l=1 have [6]
55 ∞
(αd¯ ℓp)m
¯ ℓp
X
56 Second, consider the SN group, which has degree distri- ℓ
q = 1− e−αd (1 − ϵm+1 ). (20)
m!
57 bution ρ(x). The probability that an edge carries an erasure m=0
58
6 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 ¯ = − ln ρ(1 −
From (10), we observe that in (20), term αdx π
3 ℓ
x), which means that q can be rewritten as a function of fs−1(p)
4 (1 − ℓp):
5 ℓ
As
6 q = 1 − χ(1 − ℓp), (21)
7 where fd(q)
p, fd(q)
8 ∞ ¯ m
(αdx)
¯
X
9 χ(1 − x) ≜ e−αdx (1 − ϵm+1 ). (22)
m!
10 m=0
Ad
11 Finally, substituting for (16) we have [6]
12 ∞ ¯ (ℓ−1)q))m
¯ (ℓ−1)q) (Gdλ(
13
X
ℓ
q = 1− e−Gdλ( (1 − ϵm+1 )
14 m=0
m! 0 q, fs(p) 1
15 (23) FIGURE 1: Example of EXIT chart for an IR-SA system with

16 with (ℓ=0)
q = 1, distribution Λ(x) = 0.4x3 + 0.6x2 , where d¯ = 2.4, α = 4,
17 η0 = 1, Γ̄ = 20 dB, and κ = 15. An open tunnel between
18 where G = πα is the average normalized offered traffic
¯ Γ̄, η0 ) = limℓ (ℓ)q be the two curves gives converse bound GC,blk = 3.2369.
19 of the systems. Let (∞)q(G, d,
20 convergence value of the iteration. The PLR of the systems is
21 [4] [6] III. CONVERSE BOUND AND MAP THRESHOLD
22 ¯ Γ̄, η0 ) = Λ( (∞)q(G, d,
PLR(G, d, ¯ Γ̄, η0 )) We describe a converse bound and a MAP threshold of the
23 lX
max l IR-SA systems in Sections III-A and III-B.
24 = Λl (∞)q(G, d,¯ Γ̄, η0 ) . (24)
25 l=1 A. CONVERSE BOUND OVER RAYLEIGH FADING
26 The asymptotic iterative decoding threshold, also called We are now ready to describe an asymptotic threshold upper
27 the BP decoding threshold, is defined as the supremum bound on average offered traffic GC of graph-based IR-SA
28 offered traffic value [4] [6]: systems. The upper bound is referred to as a converse bound
29 ¯ Γ̄, η0 ) → 0}.
in information theory expressing an impossibility value to be
30 GBP,blk = sup{G : PLR(G, d, (25) approached.
31 Remark 1: Our derivation of density evolution here is slightly By omitting the iterative index for simplification, we
32 different from a previous work [6], where all the N devices rewrite the iteration equations (16) and (21) of the density
33 were active at the beginning of a frame, i.e., π = 1, and the evolution:
34 frame status was described as residual graph Ga . In our work, p = πλ(q) ≜ fd (q), q ∈ (0, 1]
35 we consider activation probability π and use graph G. The (26)
q = 1 − χ(1 − p) ≜ fs (p), p ∈ (0, π].
36 activation probability is analogous to the erasure probability
Note that the initial value of p is activation probability π. An
37 of the BEC in LDPC decoding, like another previous work
example of an EXIT chart is shown in Fig. 1.
38 [5]. If the expectation of the number of devices, E(Na ) =
Function fd (q) (fs (p)) is also called the average EXIT
39 πNT , is seen as N , the iteration equation of (23), where G =
function of DNs (SNs) [19] [40]. Let the areas below the DN
40 N/M , is identical as in the previous work [6]. 2
(SN) EXIT functions over interval [0, 1] ([0, π]) be
41 Remark 2 (κ-MaxDecoding): In (18), the intra-slot SICs
42
Z 1 Z π
are carried out for every possible number of collisions, i.e.,
Ad = fd (q)dq and As = fs (p)dp. (27)
43 1 ≤ m ≤ k, where the number of occurrences k in the 0 0
44 Poisson distribution of (11) tends to infinity. For a practical
A necessary condition for successful decoding is an open
45 reason, we considered a κ-MaxDecoding where the intra-
tunnel between the two curves in the EXIT chart [19] [23],
46 slot SICs are carried out only when the number of collisions
which displays fd (q) and fs−1 (q). Such area matching means
47 is equal to or less than given constant κ (1 ≤ κ ≤ k).
that (Fig. 1)
48 Under κ-MaxDecoding, the range of the summation in (22)
Ad + As < π. (28)
49 is truncated to 0 ≤ m ≤ κ − 1.
50 Consider the special case of κ = 1, where no intra-slot SIC The area below the DN EXIT function is
51 is performed in the AP. Probability ℓqj is reduced to X Z 1 X λl π π
52 η0 Ad = π λl q l−1 dq = π = ′ = ¯.
ℓ
q = 1 − ρ(1 − ℓp)(1 − ϵ1 ) with ϵ̄1 = 1 − e− Γ̄ . 0 l Λ (1) d
53 l l
(29)
54 For the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel
On the other hand, the area below the SN EXIT function is
0, Γ1 = P/σ 2 > η0

55 AWGN
model, ϵ̄1 = . For the colli- Z π
56 1, Γ1 ≤ η0
As = π − χ(1 − z)dz = π − τ (π), (30)
57 sion channel model [4], it follows that ϵ̄Coli
1 = 0. 2 0
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 7
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 where 1
3 Z x
4 τ (x) ≜ χ(1 − z)dz
5 0
∞ m
! 0.8
6 (f) 1 X ¯
X ¯ k
(αdx)
−αdx
= ¯ (1 − ϵm+1 )(1 − e )
7 αd m=0 k=0
k!
8 (31) 0.6
9
hBP (π(x))
is expressed in a closed form. In (f) we used Gaussian integral hBPdπ = P (x̄)
R
10
[42, Eq. (2.321.1)]:
11
12 0.4
Z n
!
n ax ax
X
k n! n−k
13 x e dx = e (−1) k+1 x + C.
a (n − k)!
14 k=0
15 Combining (29) and (30), we have 0.2
π BP
π MAP
16 ¯ (π).
πα < αdτ
17
18 With G = πα, the solution of equation πα = αdτ¯ (π), i.e., 0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 ∞ m ¯k
!
−GC,blk d¯ (GC,blk d) π(x)
20
X X
C,blk
G = (1−ϵm+1 )(1−e ) (32)
21 m=0
k! FIGURE 2: Example of BP EXIT function hBP (x) with
k=0
22 gives the converse bound of asymptotic threshold GC,blk ,
identical parameters, as in Fig. 1: Here π BP = 0.7106 and
23 which is a function of the average number of transmissions d¯
π MAP = 0.8043. Thus, we have GMAP = απ MAP =
24 and is independent on a concrete DN distribution.
3.2172.
25 Remark 3: We rewrite (32) as
26 ∞
27 C,blk
X If at At the fixed point, if the erasure probability emitted
G = (1−ϵm+1 )
28 m=0
from the DN is x, then the PLR of the systems equals Λ(1 −
29 ∞ C,blk ¯ k ∞
! χ(1 − x)). Similar to MAP decoding in the LDPC context
30 −GC,blk d¯ (G d) [19, Lemma 3.116], we define BP EXIT function hBP (π) in
X X
− e · (1 − ϵm+1 ) . (33)
31 k! parametric form by the following curve (see an example in
k=0 m=k
32 When we use κ-MaxDecoding and set ϵ̄1 = · · · = ϵ̄κ = 0,
Fig. 2):
33 the solution of (33) gives the converse bound of κ-MPR [15,
34 (π(x), hBP (π(x)))
Eq. (17)]. 2
35
(
(π, 0), π ∈ [0, π BP ),
36 =
B. MAP THRESHOLD OVER RAYLEIGH FADING (π(x), Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))), π ∈ (π BP , 1] ↔ x ∈ (xBP , x̄].
37 We derive threshold GMAP,blk under MAP decoding for
38 graph-based IR-SA systems over Rayleigh block fading The BP EXIT curve is a trace of this parameter equation for
39 channels. MAP decoding resembles that of LDPC code over x starting at x = x̄ until x = xBP . Indeed, function π(x)
40 BEC where activation probability π is analogous to the has indeed a unique minimum, which determines threshold
41 channel erasure probability in the LDPC context [5]. π BP = π(xBP ) [19, Lemma 3.116] [43].
42 Recall the equations of density evolution (26). Erasure The integral under the curve (π(x), Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))) is
43 probability p emitted by the DNs tends to a limit value, called called a trial entropy associated with (λ, χ) [19, Definition
44 x, which is a fixed point of equations 3.119]:
45 Z x Z x
46 x = πλ(1 − χ(1 − x)). (34)
P (x) = hBP (π(z))dπ(z) = Λ(1 − χ(1 − z))dπ(z)
47 0 0
Solving this fixed point equation for π ∈ (0, 1], we get Z x
48 ′
x = Λ(1 − χ(1 − x))π(x) − Λ (1) zχ′ (1 − z)dz
49 π(x) = , x ∈ (0, x̄], (35) 0
50 λ(1 − χ(1 − x))
xΛ(1 − χ(1 − x))
51 where π(x̄) = 1 and 0 < x̄ < 1. In the LDPC context = + Λ′ (1) (xχ(1 − x) − τ (x)) ,
λ(1 − χ(1 − x))
52 [19, Theorem 3.59], π(x = 1) = 1, since every check node (36)
53 always has two more edges. Thus the constant term in the
54 polynomial of the node-perspective distribution of the check where we used (6), (35), and τ (x) in a closed form (31).
55 nodes is ρl=1 = 0. It follows that ρ(0) = 0. In IR-SA Note that MAP threshold π MAP is the solution of P (x) =
56 systems, however, ρl=1 ̸= 0 (11), and thus ρ(0) ̸= 0, and 0 and defines π MAP = π(xMAP ), and the BP and the MAP
57 χ(0) ̸= 0 (22). EXIT curves coincide above π MAP [19, Theorem 3.120].
58
8 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 TABLE 1: MAP thresholds of 3-RR-SA with collision chan- A. TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL
3 nel model and approximate values [5] We consider a spatially-coupled scheme and summarize it
4 as follows [5] (Fig. 3). In the systems, NT devices with
α G̃MAP,blk [5] GMAP,blk with (37) &(41)
5 reg reg
activation probability π ≪ 1 want to transmit their messages
1 1 0.9179
6 2 0.9216 0.9179 to a single AP. A super-frame is divided in to Mf = L + d − 1
7 5 0.9179 0.9179 frames, each of which consists of M slots. At the beginning
8 100 0.9179 0.9179
of the i-th frame (i = 0, 1, . . . , L − 1), among NT devices,
9 Ni devices become active with probability π, and each active
10 device transmits a single packet in a slot picked uniformly at
11 Therefore, given λ(x) and χ(x), we find the MAP threshold random within the i-th frame. Furthermore, d − 1 replicas of
12 by computing (Fig. 2) the packet are sent in the following (i + 1)- to (i + d − 1)-th
13 Z π(x̄) frames, and each replica selects a slot uniformly at random
14 hBP (π)dπ = P (x̄) − P (xMAP ) = P (x̄). (37) within the corresponding frame.
15 π MAP In the SC-SA, using the same number of repetitions for
16 As a result, the MAP threshold of graph-based IR-SA sys- each device transmission prevents uneven energy consump-
17 tems can be upper bounded: tion among sensor devices, whereas in the IR-SA [6], sensor
18 devices with a higher number of repetitions may experience
19 GMAP,blk = απ MAP . (38) faster battery depletion.
20 The expectation of the active devices in each frame is
21 Especially for graph-based d-RR-SA systems where E(Ni ) = πNT . The normalized average offered traffic of a
22 λ(x) = xd−1 , the trail entropy becomes: super-frame becomes
23
24 Preg (x) = x(1 − χ(1 − x)) + d(xχ(1 − x) − τ (x)). (39) πNT L L L
G†≜ =G = πα , (42)
25 M (L + d − 1) L+d−1 L+d−1
Using Preg (x = x̄) above, we obtain the MAP threshold of
26 graph-based d-RR-SA systems, GMAP,blk . where G = πNT
= πα.
reg
27 Remark 4: With the collision channel model, the value of the
M
28 MAP threshold of the d-RR-SA was obtained from [5]: B. GRAPH REPRESENTATION
29
The transmission process outlined in Section IV-A can also
30
Z 1
1
31 hBP (π)dπ = 1 − . (40) be described as a bipartite graph, an example of which is
π̃ MAP α shown in Fig. 3. We referred to the DNs in the i-th frame
32
We claim that the value of threshold G̃MAP,blk = απ̃ MAP is as the i-th DN group and the SNs in the j-th frame as the j-th
33 reg
SN group.
34 unfortunately approximate for a large α.
Since each DN transmits its single packet and d − 1 repli-
35 In an LDPC context, the MAP threshold over BEC is
cas, the probability that a DN group has d edges connected to
36 computed with (40), where 1 − α1 is the nominal rate of the
BN groups is 1, i.e., Λd = 1 for each DN group. Moreover,
37 LDPC code [19, Theorem 3.120] [5]. Note that this is true
all the edges connected to the j-th SN group are from δj (≤ d)
38 under the assumption that ρ(x = 0) = 0.
DN groups, where
39 On the contrary, in d-RR-SA (or IR-SA) systems, ρ(0) =
40 e−αd ̸= 0. With a collision channel model where ϵ̄1 = 0 and

 j + 1, j = 0, 1, · · · , d − 2
41 κ = 1, function χ(1 − x) of (22) can be reduced to ρ(1 − x). δj = d, j = d − 1, · · · , L − 1 (43)
42 Thus the trail entropy (39) is reduced to L + d − 1 − j, j = L, · · · , L + d − 2.

43 1 1 Similar to (9), when NT → ∞, the number of edges l con-
44 Preg (x) = x − − (x(d − 1) − )ρ(1 − x). (41)
α α nected to the j-th SN group follows a Poisson distribution.
45
Therefore, the node-perspective distribution polynomials are
46 As a result, computing (37) with (41) gives the MAP
[5]
47 threshold. However, the threshold value obtained in (40) is
48 approximate under the assumption that ρ(0) = e−αd ≈ 0 Λ(x) = xd , Ψ(j) (x) = e−αδj (1−x) . (44)
49 and P (x̄ ≈ 1) ≈ 1 − α1 . The numerical results in Table 1
50 show that when α ≥ 5, the two values become identical. 2 Similarly, the edge-perspective distribution polynomials
51 are [5]
52 IV. SPATIALLY-COUPLED SLOTTED ALOHA SYSTEMS
λ(x) = xd−1 , ρ(j) (x) =
X (j)
ρl xl−1 = e−αδj (1−x) , (45)
53 In this section, we investigate a spatially-coupled scheme l
54 using a convolutional-oriented super-frame [15] [17] [5]. We
55 refer to slotted ALOHA systems with the such a scheme as with Poisson distribution (see (11)):
56 SC-SA systems and formulate a density evolution to give a (j) (αδj )l−1
57 BP threshold of them over Rayleigh block fading channels. ρl = e−αδj , l = 1, 2, . . . . (46)
(l − 1)!
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 9
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1
2
super-frame: Mf = L + d − 1
3
4 L = 5 d−1 = 2
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14 frame 0 frame 1 frame 2 frame 3 frame 4 frame 5 frame 6
15
16 slot node active device node inactive device node
17
FIGURE 3: Bipartite graph: Example of SC-SA super-frame structure with NT = 7, M = 2, L = 5, and d = 3.
18
19
20 super-frame: Mf = L + d − 1 d − 1}. The cardinalities of the sets are δj = |Nj | and d =
21 |Mi |. Also let [L] = {0, 1, 2 . . . , L − 1}.
L = 5 d−1 = 2
22 We describe the density evolution algorithm as follows.
23 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
For the ℓ-th iteration, let ℓpi be the probability that an edge
24 ρ(0)(x) ρ(1)(x) ρ(2)(x) ρ(3)(x) ρ(4)(x) ρ(5)(x) ρ(6)(x)
incident on the i-th DN group carries an erasure message
25 towards its neighboring SN groups. Similarly, let ℓqj be the
26 probability that an incident edge on the j-th SN group carries
27 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 xd−1 an erasure message towards its neighboring DN groups.
28 0 1 2 3 4 First, consider the i-th DN group, which has degree d
29 for all i (Fig. 5). Let ℓpij be the probability that an edge
30 FIGURE 4: Protograph: Example of SC-SA super-frame
structure (Fig. 3) with L = 5 and d = 3. emanating from the i-th DN group carries an erasure message
31 towards the j-th SN group with j ∈ Mi .
32 Based on message-passing decoding over BEC [40], an
33 qj
edge is revealed whenever at least one of the other d − 1
xd−1
34 pjj
.
d
..
j edges has been uncovered:

35 π
qj
j
ϵ̄m
m=0,1,. . . Y
ℓ (ℓ−1)
36 d
pij = π qu , i ∈ [L]. (47)
.
ρ(j) (x)
..
37 pj(j+d−1) u∈Mi \j
38 Second, consider the j-th SN group (Fig. 5). The probabil-
39 FIGURE 5: Message passing at j-th coupled position. ity that an edge carries an erasure message from the j-th SN
40 group to the BN groups in the ℓ-th iteration is
41 ∞
42 In SC-SA systems, the channels are Rayleigh distributed (j) (k)
X
ℓ
qj = ρk · ℓqj , j ∈ [L + d]. (48)
43 and the intra- and inter-slot SICs are employed as described k=1
44 in Section II-C.
(j)
45 Here ρk is the fraction of the edges connected to an SN
(k)
46 C. DENSITY EVOLUTION of degree-k in the j-th SN group (46), and ℓqj is the
47 We next propose a density evolution algorithm to evaluate probability that an edge carries an erasure message, given that
48 the asymptotic (M → ∞ with constant α = NT /M ) it is connected to the degree-k SN in the SN group. Similar
49 performance of the SC-SA systems. to (18), the erasure probability of the degree-k SN is
50 As NT and M approach infinity, the bipartite graph k
51 ℓ (k)
X k−1
(Fig. 3) becomes a protograph in the form of probability qj = 1− (1−ℓpj )k−m ℓpm−1
j (1−ϵ̄m ), (49)
52 (Fig. 4). m=1
m−1
53 DNs are neighbors of an SN when they are connected to
where ℓpj is the average erasure probability towards the j-th
54 one, and vice versa. The set of DN groups being neighbor of
SN group from its neighbors:
55 neighboring the j-th SN group is Nj = {j − δj + 1, j − δj +
56 2, . . . , j}. Analogously, the set of SN groups being neighbor ℓ 1 X ℓ
pj = pvj . (50)
57 of neighboring the i-th DN group is Mi = {i, i + 1, . . . , i + δj
v∈Nj
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10 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 Algorithm 1 Density evolution for SC-SA 3.5
3 GC,blk : κ = 21
1: procedure DE(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 )
4 0
2: qj = 1, ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1] 3 GMAP,blk : κ = 21
5 3: for ℓ = 1 : ℓmax do
reg
6 4: compute ℓpij with (47), ∀i ∈ [L] GC,blk : κ = 15

7 5: compute ℓpj with (50), ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1]
2.5
GMAP,blk : κ = 15
8 6: compute ℓqj with (51), ∀j ∈ [L + d − 1]
reg
9 2 GC,blk : κ = 4
7: end for
10 GMAP,blk :κ=4
G
8: return { ℓqj } reg
11 end procedure 1.5
9: GC,blk : κ = 3
12
13 GMAP,blk
reg :κ=3
1
14 GC,blk : κ = 2
Inserting (46) into (48), similar to (20) we have
15
GMAP,blk :κ=2
16 ℓ −δj α ℓpj
X∞
(δj α ℓpj )m 0.5 reg
17 qj = 1− e (1 − ϵm+1 ). (51)
m!
18 m=0
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 In (51), from (47) and (50), term δj α ℓpj can be rewritten: ζ = 1/d¯
20 X Y
21 δj α ℓpj = πα (ℓ−1)
qu FIGURE 6: Regular MAP thresholds GMAP,blk
reg are close to
22 v∈Nj u∈Mv \j their corresponding converse bounds in IR-SAs with κ =
23 L+d−1 X Y 2, 3, 4, 15, and 21.
24 = G† (ℓ−1)
qu ,
L
v∈Nj u∈Mv \j
25
26 where G† is the normalized average offered traffic of the simulations, the target PLR is set to 10−2 due to channel fad-
27 super-frame (42). ing. As mentioned in Remark 2, we conduct κ-MaxDecoding
28 From initial value (ℓ=0)qj = 1 for each SN group, by where the summation range was truncated to 0 ≤ m ≤ κ − 1
29 the iteration shown in Algorithm 1, we obtain convergence in (22) and (51).
30 values Throughout this section, without specific declarations, the
31 specifications in our numerical analysis and simulations are
32
(ℓ∞)
qj (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) ≜ (ℓ∞)
qj , j ∈ [L + d], shown in Table 2. In our simulations, we set the number of
33 fading samples to H = 10000, where one fading sample
which is the PLR of the j-th SN group.
34 denotes the set of fading coefficients with which all the active
Similar to (47), the following is the probability that a
35 devices transmit their packets or replicas within one super-
packet is lost for the active devices in the i-th DN group:
36 frame.
37
Y
PLRi (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) = (ℓ∞)
qu (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ), i ∈ [L]. In Fig. 6, we provide the numerical results of converse
38 u∈Mi bounds GC,blk obtained from (32) at various values of pa-
39 (52) rameter κ and MAP thresholds GMAP,blkreg of the d-RR-SA
40 The average packet loss probability of all the DN groups is systems obtained from (37) at d = 2, 3, . . . , 6. The regular
41 L MAP thresholds are close to their corresponding converse
42 PLR(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) =
1X Y (ℓ∞)
qu (G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ). bounds, a result that can also be confirmed from the numeri-
43 L i=1
u∈Mi
cal values at both κ = 15 and κ = 21 (Table 3). Indeed, our
44 (53) converse bound is tight. and the proposed converse bound is
45 The asymptotic iterative (BP) decoding threshold of the
46 SC-SA systems, denoted by G†
BP,Conv
, is defined as the
47 TABLE 2: Specifications in analysis and simulations
supremum offered traffic value:
48 BP,Conv # of transmitted replicas per device d
49 G† = sup{G† : PLR(G† , d, Γ̄, η0 ) → 0}. (54) average # of replicas per device d¯
50 # of slots within a frame M
population of devices NT
51 V. NUMERICAL RESULTS AND SIMULATIONS ratio of # of devices to slots α = NT /M = 100
52 In this section, we provide the numerical results of the # of coupling L = 100
53 converse bounds and the MAP and BP thresholds proposed SNR threshold of decoding η0 = 1
variance of fading σh2 = 1
54 in Sections III-A, III-B, and IV-C. We also provide the sim- average received SNR per device Γ̄ = 20 dB
55 ulation results to verify the effectiveness of these thresholds. maximum # of collisions to be decoded κ
56 Although PLR approaches 0 in our definition of BP decoding # of fading samples H = 10000
target PLR PLR= 10−2
57 thresholds in (25) and (54), in our numerical analysis and
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 11
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 100 3.5
3 GMAP,blk : κ = 15
reg
4 SC-SA 3 BP,Conv
5 G† : κ = 15
IR-SA [6]
6 3-RR-SA [6] GMAP,blk
reg :κ=4
7 2.5
† BP,Conv
8 G :κ=4
9 2 GMAP,blk
reg :κ=3
PLR
10 10−1 GC,blk: 3.2934
G
† BP,Conv
G :κ=3
11 1.5
12 GMAP,blk: 3.2932
GMAP,blk
reg :κ=2
13 G † BP,Conv
:κ=2
1
14 GMAP,blk
reg : 3.2909
15
16 0.5
17 −2
10 2.5
GBP,blk
reg : 2.5466 GBP,blk: 2.9708 G†
BP,Conv
: 3.2906
18 3 3.5 0
G or G† 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
19 ζ = 1/d
20 FIGURE 7: PLR versus normalized average offered traffics
21 G† and G at a) SC-SA (d = 3), b) IR-SA [6] (optimized FIGURE 8: Threshold saturation: BP thresholds of SC-SA
22 distribution in Table 4 with d¯ = 3.0994), and c) 3-RR-SA [6]. approach MAP thresholds of d-RR-SA.
23 Moreover, converse bound and MAP thresholds are given.
24 TABLE 4: Optimized device node degree distribution and its
25 corresponding BP threshold (PLR=10−2 and κ = 15) [6].
26 meaningful. This result can be attributed to the fact that the
d¯ Distribution Λ(x) GBP,blk [6]
27 two EXIT functions (Fig. 1) match well and the open tunnel
2.0808 Λ(x) = 0.0053x4 + 0.0702x3 + 0.9245x2 2.8769
28 between two curves is very narrow. Λ(x) = 0.1080x10 + 0.0176x8
29 Fig. 6 also shows that the converse bounds (or the MAP 3.0994 +0.0162x7 + 0.0102x6 2.9708
30 thresholds) at κ = 15 are almost consistent with those at +0.0078x3 + 0.8402x2
Λ(x) = 0.1229x10 + 0.0343x8
31 κ = 21, which is due to 1 ≥ ϵ̄m ≥ 0.9999 for m ≥ 15.
3.9146 +0.0967x7 + 0.0391x6 2.3899
32 Both numerical values are almost identical (Table 3). This +0.0857x3 + 0.6213x2
33 means that κ = 15 adequately gives a convergent result of Λ(x) = 0.0656x10 + 0.1200x8
34 these thresholds. In the remaining part of this section, we set 5.0018 +0.1964x7 + 0.1070x6 1.9724
+0.3463x3 + 0.1645x2
35 κ = 15 without specific declarations.
Λ(x) = 0.0572x10 + 0.0075x8
36 In Fig. 7, we give the average PLR of the SC-SA obtained 6.3704 +0.5040x7 + 0.3155x6 1.5849
37 from (53) at d = 3 using density evolution. The average +0.0855x3 + 0.0302x2
38 normalized offered traffic G† at PLR = 10−2 , i.e., BP
BP,Conv
39 threshold G† = 3.2906, approaches MAP thresholds
40 GMAP,blk
reg = 3.2909 and GMAP,blk = 3.2932 and is near [22], similar to a previous work [6]. At PLR = 10−2 ,
41 converse bound GC,blk = 3.2934 (Table 3). there is a large gap between the BP thresholds of the SC-
42 For comparison, Fig. 7 also shows the average PLRs of SA and the optimal IR-SA, perhaps due to the restriction
43 the 3-RR-SA and the optimal IR-SA obtained from (24) of the maximum order of polynomial Λ(x) to 10 during the
44 [6] are shown. The optimized distributions of IR-SAs are optimization of the distribution (Table 4). Compared with the
45 listed in Table 4, which we optimize by difference evolution optimal IR-SA [6], the SC-SA has higher BP threshold and
46 uniform energy consumption at a cost of multiple frames.
47 TABLE 3: Thresholds and bounds at κ = 15 and 21
This makes it attractive in practical applications.
48 Figure 8 compares the SC-SA’s BP thresholds and the d-
BP,Conv
49 d¯ (d) κ G† GMAP,blk
reg GMAP,blk GC,blk RR-SA’s MAP thresholds at κ = 2, 3, 4, and 15. The actual
50 2.0808 (2)
15 3.0463 3.0470 3.0945 3.1315 values of the BP thresholds achieve MAP thresholds, called
21 3.0463 3.0470 3.0945 3.1315
51 15 3.2906 3.2909 3.2932 3.2934
the threshold saturation effect in the LDPC code context
52 3.0994 (3)
21 3.2906 3.2909 3.2932 3.2934 [44]. In other word, practical iterative decoding provides an
53 3.9146 (4)
15 3.3130 3.3138 3.3139 3.3139 optimal decoding performance for the SC-SA in the sense
54 21 3.3130 3.3138 3.3139 3.3139 that the BP threshold approaches the theoretical upper bound.
15 3.3159 3.3168 3.3168 3.3169
55 5.0018 (5)
21 3.3159 3.3168 3.3168 3.3169
56 6.3704 (6)
15 3.3164 3.3173 3.3174 3.3174 In Fig. 9, at κ = 15 we show various thresholds for
57 21 3.3164 3.3174 3.3174 3.3174 comparison, where the device distributions of the IR-SAs are
58
12 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 3.5
3 2
4
3
5 1.8
2-MPR [15]
6 2-MAX
1.6
7 2.5
2-MPR w/on-off [17]
8 1-MPR [5]
1.4
9 2 1-MAX
G or G†
GC,blk
GC,blk
10 1-MPR w/on-off [29]
GMAP,blk 1.2
11 1.5 GMAP,blk
12 reg
BP,Conv
13 G† 1
14 1 GBP,blk [6]
0.8
15 GBP,blk
reg [6]
16 0.5
0.6
17
18 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
19 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 ζ = k/n̄
20 ζ = 1/d¯
FIGURE 10: Converse bounds GC,blk with a) κ-
21 FIGURE 9: Thresholds versus inverse of average number of MaxDecoding at κ = 1, 2, b) K-MPRs [5] [15], and
22 ¯ Thresholds are converse bound, MAPs of d-
transmissions d: c) K-MPRs with on-off fading (packet erasure probability
23 RR-SA and IR-SA, and BP of SC-SA. Irregular and regular ϵPE = 0.1) [29] [17] at K = 1, 2.
24 BP thresholds [6] are also given for comparison. Device
25 distributions of IR-SAs are given in Table 4 and κ = 15.
26
2
27
28 given in Table 4. The numerical values of these thresholds
1.8 2-MPR: GC,blk [15]
29 are also illustrated in Table 3, supplied with κ = 21. We BP,Conv
2-MPR: G† [15]
30 conclude that over the Rayleigh block fading channels, the 2-MPR: GMAP,blk
reg
1.6
31 BP threshold of the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a 2-MAX: GC,blk
32
BP,Conv
regular MAP threshold and is close to the tight converse 2-MAX: G†
1.4 2-MAX: GMAP,blk
33 bound. reg
G or G†
1-MPR: GC,blk [5]

34 In addition, Figures 10 and 11 compare the thresholds 1-MPR: G†
BP,Conv
[5]
1.2
35 with various channel models: a) (κ = 1, 2)-MaxCollision MAP,blk
1-MPR: Greg [5]
36 with fading, b) (K = 2)-MPR (i.e., ϵ̄1 = ϵ̄2 = 0)) [15]
1
37 and (K = 1)-MPR (ϵ̄1 = 0, i.e., the collision channel) [5],
38 c) 2-MPR with on-off fading [17], and 1-MPR with on-
0.8
39 off fading (i.e., packet erasure channel) [29]. The converse
40 bounds with the collision model, i.e., 1-MPR, were given
0.6
41 [5] and extended to MPR [15] and MPR with on-off fading
42 [17] [29]. In Fig. 10, we present our converse bounds in 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
43 comparison to prior results. The bound with K-MPR is larger ζ = 1/d¯
44 than those of the other converse bounds and can be seen as
45 an upper bound, since the K-MPR channel model ignores FIGURE 11: d-RR-SA’s MAP thresholds GMAP,blk reg , SC-
BP,blk †BP,Conv
46 the impact of channel fading and noise. On the other hand, SA’s BP thresholds Greg G , and IR-SA’s con-
47 there is a cross between the two bounds: K-MPR with on- verse bound of GC,blk at a) (κ = 2)-MaxDecoding (with
48 off fading and our κ-MaxDecoding. The constant packet fading), b) 2-, and c) 1-MPRs [15] [5].
49 erasure probability ϵPE in K-MPR with on-off fading seems
50 an oversimplification of the effect of channel fading. Our
51 work on fading is more practical and includes K-MPR as was derived only for the collision channel (i.e., 1-MPR) and
52 a special case of ϵ̄m = 0 for m = 1, 2, . . . , K. was approached by its BP threshold [5]. In our Rayleigh
53 Figure 11 gives the MAP thresholds of the IR-SAs, the BP fading, this threshold saturation effect was also confirmed
54 thresholds of the SC-SAs, and the converse bounds of IR- by observing that the BP threshold approaches the MAP
55 SAs with various channel models. Also, the MAP threshold threshold with 2-MaxDecoding. Furthermore, this effect was
56 of the IR-SA and the BP threshold of the SC-SA with also observed in 2-MPR. Note that the MAP threshold in (37)
57 1-MPR were given [5]. In the past, the MAP threshold can be determined for 2-MPR by setting ϵ̄1 and ϵ̄2 to zero.
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 13
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 100 100
3
4 M → ∞ (DE) M → ∞ (DE)
5 M = 10000 M = 10000
M = 1000 M = 1000
6 10−1
M = 500
10−1
M = 500
7 M = 200 M = 200
8
9
PLR
PLR
10−2 10−2
10
11
12
13 10−3 10−3
14
15
16
17 10−41.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 10−42.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
18 G† G†
19 (a) PLR (a) PLR
20
21 3 3
22
23 2.5
M → ∞ (DE)
2.5
M → ∞ (DE)
M = 10000 M = 10000
24 M = 1000 M = 1000
25 M = 500 M = 500
26 2 M = 200 2 M = 200
27
Throughput
Throughput
28 1.5 1.5
29
30
31 1 1
32
33 0.5 0.5
34
35
0 0
36 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
37 G† G†
38 (b) Throughput (b) Throughput
39
40 FIGURE 12: κ = 2: (a) PLRs and (b) throughputs of SC- FIGURE 13: κ = 3: (a) PLRs and (b) throughputs of SC-SAs
41 SAs by simulation and by density evolution (DE). (d = 3, with identical parameters as in Fig. 12.
42 L = 100 and H = 10000.)
43
44 VI. CONCLUSIONS
45 We asymptotically analyzed the decoding performance of IR-
Finally, we provide the simulation results of the SC-SA
46 SA systems over Rayleigh block fading channels. We derived
systems to verify the effectiveness of the BP thresholds. Fig-
47 a converse bound based on the fact that the sum of the
ures 12 and 13 show the PLRs and the normalized through-
48 two areas below two EXIT curves is smaller than the entire
puts of SC-SA with α = 100 and M = 200, 500, 100, and
49 domain’s area. The converse bound is tight. Moreover, we
10000 at κ = 2 and κ = 3. As expected, a rise in the number
50 derived an MAP threshold, following the coincidence of the
of slots per frame M yields an increase of the traffic for
51 BP and MAP EXIT curves. We also produced a BP decoding
which the target PLR, e.g., 10−2 , is achieved and is close
52 threshold for a spatially-coupled scheme. Numerical results
to the asymptotic BP threshold. Our analysis, which uses an
53 show that it achieves the threshold saturation effect.
asymptotic approach, is in agreement with the simulations
54 Although we limited this paper to IR-SA systems, the
that were done on a finite number of slots as the number of
55 converse bound can be straightforwardly extended to C-
slots increases.
56 SA systems. A future challenge will give a close-formed
57 expression of trail entropy for C-SA systems, which play a
58
14 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
60
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56 tion diversity slotted ALOHA,” IEEE Transactions on Communications, Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. 70, no. 12, pp. 12 742–12 757,
57 vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 477–487, 2011. 2021.
58
VOLUME XX, 2023 15
59 For Review Only
60
1
2 [28] S.-L. Shieh and S.-H. Yang, “Enhanced irregular repetition slotted GUANGHUI SONG (member, IEEE) received
3 ALOHA under SIC limitation,” IEEE Transactions on Communications, the B.E. degree in communication and engineering
4 vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 2268–2280, 2022. from Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China,
[29] Z. Zhang, K. Niu, and J. Dai, “Performance bounds of coded slotted in 2006. He received the M.S. degree in telecom-
5 ALOHA over erasure channels,” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Tech- munications engineering from Xidian University,
6 nology, vol. 71, no. 11, pp. 12 338–12 343, 2022. Xi’an, China, in 2009 and the Ph.D. degree in the
7 [30] E. Perron, M. Rezaeian, and A. Grant, “The on-off fading channel,” in department of intelligent information engineering
IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, 2003, pp. 244–
8 244.
and sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan,
in 2012. From 2013 to 2021, he did postdoctoral
9 [31] X. Shao, Z. Sun, M. Yang, S. Gu, and Q. Guo, “NOMA-based irregular
research in Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan,
10 repetition slotted ALOHA for satellite networks,” IEEE Communications
University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, and Singapore University
Letters, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 624–627, 2019.
11 [32] E. E. Khaleghi, C. Adjih, A. Alloum, and P. Mühlethaler, “Near-far effect of Technology and Design, Singapore. Currently, he is an Associate Pro-
12 on coded slotted ALOHA,” in IEEE 28th Annual International Symposium fessor with Xidian University, Xi’an, China. His research interests are in
the areas of channel coding, multi-user coding, and coding for data storage
13 on Personal, Indoor, and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), 2017,
pp. 1–7. systems.
14 [33] A. Zanella and M. Zorzi, “Theoretical analysis of the capture probability
15 in wireless systems with multiple packet reception capabilities,” IEEE
16 Transactions on Communications, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 1058–1071, 2012.
[34] J. G. Proakis, Digital Communications, 5th Edition. McGraw Hill, 2007.
17 [35] C. R. Srivatsa and C. R. Murthy, “On the impact of channel estimation on
18 the design and analysis of IRSA based systems,” IEEE Transactions on
19 Signal Processing, vol. 70, pp. 4186–4200, 2022.
[36] S. Saha, V. B. Sukumaran, and C. R. Murthy, “On the minimum average
TOMOTAKA KIMURA (member, IEEE) re-
20 age of information in IRSA for grant-free mMTC,” IEEE Journal on
ceived the B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees in
communications engineering from Osaka Univer-
21 Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 1441–1455, 2021.
sity, Japan, in 2008, 2010, and 2015, respectively.
[37] Y. Huang, J. Jiao, Y. Wang, S. Wu, R. Lu, and Q. Zhang, “G-SC-IRSA:
22 Graph-based spatially coupled IRSA for age-critical grant-free massive From April 2015 to March 2018, he was an As-
23 access,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal (Early Access), pp. 1–15, 2023. sistant Professor with the Department of Electri-
24 [38] Z. Chen, Y. Feng, Z. Tian, Y. Jia, M. Wang, and T. Q. S. Quek, “Energy cal Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo
efficiency optimization for irregular repetition slotted ALOHA-based mas- University of Science. From April 2018 to March
25 sive access,” IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 2020, he was an Assistant Professor with the De-
26 982–986, 2022. partment of Intelligent Information Engineering
27 [39] Z. Chen, Y. Feng, C. Feng, L. Liang, Y. Jia, and T. Q. S. Quek, “Analytic and Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University,
distribution design for irregular repetition slotted ALOHA with multi-
28 packet reception,” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. 72,
Kyoto, Japan, where he is currently an Associate Professor. His research
interests include performance analysis and designs of communication net-
29 no. 1, pp. 1360–1365, 2023. works. He is a member of IEICE, IEEJ, and JSAI.
30 [40] S. J. Johnson, Iterative Error Correction: Turbo, Low-Density Parity-
Check and Repeat-Accumulate Codes. Cambridge: Cambridge University
31 Press, 2010.
32 [41] T. M. Cover and J. A. Thomas, Elements of Information Theory (Wiley
33 Series in Telecommunications and Signal Processing). USA: Wiley-
Interscience, 2006.
34 [42] I. S. Gradshteyn and I. M. Ryzhik, Table of Integrals, Series, and Products, JUN CHENG (member, IEEE) received B.S.
35 7th ed. Elsevier/Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2007. and M.S. degrees in telecommunications engineer-
36 [43] C. Measson, A. Montanari, and R. Urbanke, “Maxwell construction: The ing from Xidian University, Xi’an, China, in 1984
hidden bridge between iterative and maximum a posteriori decoding,” and 1987, and a Ph.D. degree in electrical engi-
37 IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 54, no. 12, pp. 5277–5307, neering from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
38 2008. in 2000. Currently, he is a professor in the Depart-
39 [44] S. Kudekar, T. J. Richardson, and R. L. Urbanke, “Threshold saturation via ment of Intelligent Information Engineering and
spatial coupling: Why convolutional ldpc ensembles perform so well over
40 the BEC,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 57, no. 2, pp.
Sciences, Doshisha University, Kyoto.
From 1987 to 1994, he was an assistant profes-
41 803–834, 2011.
sor and lecturer in the Department of Information
42 Engineering, Xidian University. From 1995 to 1996, he was an associate
43 professor in the National Key Laboratory on Integrated Service Network,
44 Xidian University. In April 2000, he joined ATR Adaptive Communications
Research Laboratories, Kyoto, where he became a visiting researcher. From
45 August 2002 to June 2003, he was a staff engineer at the R&D Center,
46 Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. (formerly Wireless Solution
47 Labs., Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.), Yokosuka. From
48 YUHEI TAKAHASHI received B.S. and M.S. July 2003 to March 2004, he was a staff engineer at the Next-Generation
degrees from the Department of Intelligent Infor- Mobile Communications Development Center, Matsushita Electric Indus-
49 trial Co., Ltd., Yokosuka. In April 2004, he joined Doshisha University,
mation Engineering and Sciences, Doshisha Uni-
50 versity, Kyoto, Japan in 2021 and 2023. He is now Kyoto. From October 2016 to September 2017, he was a visiting scholar
51 with Rail Systems Busines Unit, Japan LoB Rail with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M
52 Control & Signalling, Hitachi, Ltd.. His research University.
interests are in the areas of coding theory and radio His research interests are in the areas of communications theory, informa-
53 tion theory, coding theory, array signal processing, and radio communication
communication systems.
54 systems.
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16 VOLUME XX, 2023
59 For Review Only
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2 Original Manuscript ID: Access-2023-05921
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4 Original Article Title: “Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA over Rayleigh Block Fading Channels: Bounds
5 and Threshold Saturation via Spatial Coupling”
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9 To: IEEE Access Editor
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11 Re: Response to reviewers
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19 Dear Editor,
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23 Thank you for allowing us to re-submit our manuscript, with the opportunity to address the comments of the
24 reviewers.
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26 We are uploading
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28 (a) our point-by-point response to the comments (below) (response to reviewers),
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30 (b) an updated manuscript with red highlighting indicating changes (Supplementary Material for Review), and
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32 (c) a clean updated manuscript without highlights (Main Manuscript).
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Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the manuscript.
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Best regards,
38
39 Jun Cheng
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July 23, 2023

1
2 Response to Review Comments
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4 First of all, the authors would like to thank the editor and all reviewers for their insightful comments on this
5 manuscript, which improve this work.
6
7 Reviewer #1
8
9 Recommendation: Accept (minor edits)
10
11 Additional Questions:
12
13 1) Does the paper contribute to the body of knowledge?: yes
14
15 2) Is the paper technically sound?: yes
16
17 3) Is the subject matter presented in a comprehensive manner?: yes
18
19 4) Are the references provided applicable and sufficient?: The references provided are applicable, but not
20 sufficient.
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22 5) Are there references that are not appropriate for the topic being discussed?: No
23
24 5a) If yes, then please indicate which references should be removed.:
25
26 This paper investigated the IRSA over Rayleigh block fading channels and derived a converse bound and a
27 MAP threshold via spatial coupling. This work is interesting and timely, reviewer has the following minor
28 comments.
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30 Reviewer #1, Concern #1: The organization of the paper can be improved, the authors have divided the
31 manuscript into a large number of sections.
32
33 Author response: We agree with the reviewer.
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35 Author action: We updated the manuscript by merging two sections into Section III, which consists of Section
36 III. A and Section III.B.
37
38 Reviewer #1, Concern #2: The latest works of IRSA should be cited.
39
41
42 Author action: We updated the reference list by adding highlighted references, indicating the latest works
43 and background information of this work. The citation and comments about these works can also be found
44
in Section I. See also the author action to Reviewer #3, Concern #1 (R3 C1).
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2 Reviewer #2
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4 Recommendation: Reject (do not encourage resubmit)
5
7
8 1) Does the paper contribute to the body of knowledge?: no
9
10 2) Is the paper technically sound?: no
11
12 3) Is the subject matter presented in a comprehensive manner?: no
13
14 4) Are the references provided applicable and sufficient?: no
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Reviewer #2, Concern #1: The paper is not well written, there are a lot of typos and grammatical errors.
23
Author response: Your comments encourage us to improve our technical writing.
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25
Author action: The revised version has been rewritten by a professional native English academic writer prior
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27
to submission. We corrected those typos and grammatical errors with changes red highlighted.
28
Reviewer #2, Concern #2: The images are not of good quality, prepare them in 600 dpi.
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30
Author response: We used the Tikz package in Latex to create all the figures in our manuscript. Tikz is a
31
32 vector graphic system that does not have a fixed resolution. Moreover, we could not find any options in the
33 Overleaf online editor to adjust the quality of Tikzpicture when exporting to PDF format, even though IEEE
34 has a partnership with Overleaf that provides us with comprehensive LaTeX support.
35
36 Author action: We are still looking for solutions to improve the quality of the images.
37
38 Reviewer #2, Concern #3: The contribution of the paper is not novel and also not depicted clearly.
39
40 Author response: To our best knowledge, for the IR-SA systems over Rayleigh block fading channels, the MAP
41 threshold and the converse bound have not yet been investigated. Also, the BP threshold for the spatially
42 coupled scheme over the fading channels has not be reported.
43
44 Author action: We revised the Abstract to depict that over fading channels, the MAP threshold and the
45 converse bound have not yet been investigated previously for IR-SA systems. The facts can be found in our
46 summary of the previous works in the second paragraph, left column, p. 4.
47
48 Reviewer #2, Concern #4: The methodology is not explained properly.
49
50 Author response: G. Liva in his pioneering work [4] established a direct connection between the decoding
51 of graph-based codes (such as LDPC codes) over the binary erasure channel and the iterative interference
52 cancellation process of random access schemes (such as the IR-SAs) over the collision channels. This
53 connection enables us to analyze the performances of the IR-SAs, by utilizing the graph-based coding theory.
54
For the IR-SAs over the collision channels, some elegant analyses were investigated, such as the BP threshold
55
56 [4], the converse bound [13], the MAP threshold [5], and the BP threshold of the spatially coupled scheme
57 [5]. Our work extends these works to Rayleigh fading channel model and addresses the impact of fading in
58 wireless scenarios. The methodology here is originally from the graph-based coding theory and G. Liva’s
59 contributions on random access schemes.
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2 Author action: In the revised version, we inserted citations to the original sources, when we referenced
3 equations and theorems. See also the author action to R3 C2.
4
5 Reviewer #2, Concern #5: The results explanation is not properly defined.
6
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9 Author action: We updated Section V by providing some analysis and interpretation for each figure. See also
10 the author action to R3 C3&4.
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12 Reviewer #2, Concern #6: There are a lot of old references. Follow new papers.
13
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16 Author action: We updated the reference list by adding highlighted references including the latest works.
17 See also the author action to R1 C2.
18
19 Reviewer #2, Concern #6: The literature survey regarding the work is not done properly.
20
22
23 Author action: We rewrote the Introdutction by adding the first paragraph in Section I and the first
24 paragraph in Section I.B. Moreover, we added the latest works [2] [27-29] [31-32] [35-39] to the referece
25 list and briefly reviewed them in Section I.
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2 Reviewer #3
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4 Recommendation: Reject (updates required before resubmission)
5
7
8 1) Does the paper contribute to the body of knowledge?: yes
9
10 2) Is the paper technically sound?: yes
11
12 3) Is the subject matter presented in a comprehensive manner?: yes
13
14 4) Are the references provided applicable and sufficient?: yes
15
17
19
20 This article discusses the performance analysis of irregular repetition slotted ALOHA (IR-SA) systems over
21 Rayleigh block fading channels. In these systems, a population of devices transmits their packets to an access
22 point within a frame of slots. The article focuses on the average normalized offered traffic as a performance
23 metric, which represents the number of packets transmitted per slot when the packet loss rate approaches
24 zero. Numerical results show that the spatially-coupled scheme achieves a threshold saturation effect when
25 the BP threshold approaches the MAP threshold. The article also discusses related works and the collision
26 channel model without erasures.
27
28 Overall, this article provides valuable insights into the performance analysis of IR-SA systems over Rayleigh
29 block fading channels. I have the following concerns:
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33 Reviewer #3, Concern # 1: The abstract and introduction provide little context or background information
34 for readers unfamiliar with the topic, which could make it challenging to follow the rest of the article. The
35
article directly starts with "PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND OUR OBJECTIVE".
36
37
Author response: We agree with the reviewer.
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39
Author action:
40
41 a) We updated the abstract by pointing out that the MAP threshold and the converse bound have not be
42
investigated over fading channels.
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b) In the beginning of the introduction, we add a paragraph to briefly describe the background of random
45
46
access and our challenge.
47
c) see also the author action to R1 C2.
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49
Reviewer #3, Concern #2: The paper references several equations and theorems without providing sufficient
50
51 citations to the original sources. This could make it difficult for readers to verify the accuracy of the
52 information presented.
53
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56 Author action: In the revised version, we provided, in red highlight, some citations concerned these
57 equations and theorems. The first example is the reference [40] above Eq. (1).
58
59 Reviewer #3, Concern #3: The Simulations does not compare the simulation results to any other results or
60 benchmarks. Without comparison, it is difficult to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods
relative to other methods or systems.
5
For Review Only
July 23, 2023

1
3
4 Author action:
5
6 a) We added Fig. 10 to compare the convers bounds between various channel models, including the collision
7 (i.e., 1-MPR) [5], 2-MPR [15], 1-MPR with on-off fading [29], 2-MPR with on-off fading [17], and our Rayleigh
8 fading channels. We also updated the corresponding paragraph to add the description of Fig. 10.
9
10 Moreover, we undated the manuscript by adding Remark 3, where Eq. (33) was written as in the same form
11 as for \kappa-MPR channel model [15, Eq. (17)] for comparison. The solutions of the two equations give the
12 converse bounds for Rayleigh fading and \kappa-MPR, respectively.
13
14 (b) BP thresholds for the benchmark [6] are already shown in Figs. 7 and 9, and Table 4 in our first submission.
15
In the revised version, we added “[6]” in the legends and captions of the two figures and the table to make
16
17
it clear.
18
(c) In our first submission, in Fig. 11, the MAP threshold of the collision channel (i.e., 1-MPR) [5] is already
19
20 shown. Furthermore, we already gave the MAP threshold of 2-MPR, which can be seen as a special case of
21 our work ($\bar\epsilon_1 = 0$ and $\bar\epsilon_2 = 0$). Note that Ref. [15] do not address the MAP
22 threshold, although it derived a converse bound over K-MPR. In the revised version, to make them clear, we
23 added the highlighted citations [5] [15] in their legends in Fig. 11.
24
25 (d) Figs. 12 and 13 only verify the effectiveness of the BP thresholds of the spatially-coupled slotted ALOHA
26 (SC-SA). Comparison to other simulation results may not be necessary.
27
28 Reviewer #3, Concern #4: Moreover, Section 6 does not provide any analysis or interpretation of the
29 simulation results. It simply presents the results without any explanation or discussion of their significance.
30 Without analysis, it is difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from the simulation results.
31
33
34 Author action: We updated Section V by providing some analysis and interpretation for each figure. Please
35 see the red highlight statements in this section.
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41 Note: References suggested by reviewers should only be added if it is relevant to the article and makes it more
42 complete. Excessive cases of recommending non-relevant articles should be reported to
43 ieeeaccesseic@ieee.org
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Irregular Repetition Slotted ALOHA over Rayleigh Block

Journal: IEEE Access

Manuscript Type: Regular Manuscript

Date Submitted by the

Keywords: <b>Please choose

For Review Only

A. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND OUR OBJECTIVE

10 is expressed in a closed form. In (f) we used Gaussian integral

33 (33) parametric form by the following curve (see an example in

28 Remark 4: With the collision channel model, the value of the

j edges has been uncovered:

6 4: compute ℓpij with (47), ∀i ∈ [L] GC,blk : κ = 15

10 10−1 GC,blk: 3.2934

1-MPR: GC,blk [5]

44 from each device.

50 that a DN-to-SN message is erased [4] [5]: (d) ¯ m−1 e−αd¯ ℓp ,

15 (23) FIGURE 1: Example of EXIT chart for an IR-SA system with

15 Combining (29) and (30), we have 0.2

j edges has been uncovered:

6 4: compute ℓpij with (47), ∀i ∈ [L] GC,blk : κ = 15

10 10−1 GC,blk: 3.2934

1-MPR: GC,blk [5]

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