Multiuser signal detection using sequential decoding

The application of sequential decoding to the detection of data transmitted over the additive white Gaussian noise channel by K asynchronous transmitters using direct-sequence spread-spectrum multiple access (DS/SSMA) is considered. A modification of R.M. Fano´s (1963) sequential-decoding metric, allowing the messages from a given user to be safely decoded if its E_b/N₀ exceeds -1.6 dB, is presented. Computer simulation is used to evaluate the performance of a sequential decoder that uses this metric in conjunction with the stack algorithm. In many circumstances, the sequential decoder achieves results comparable to those obtained using the much more complicated optimal receiver