Simplified maximum likelihood detection for multi-beam satellite systems using group-wise interference cancellation

The ideal joint detection method for multi-beam satellite systems is the maximum likelihood (ML) detection, while the complexity increases exponentially with the number of spot beams. A simplified ML detection is proposed for multi-beam satellite systems in this paper. The proposed algorithm is based on grouping of spot beams. ML detection is applied within groups after a crucial group detection and interference cancellation. The performance is improved by keeping multiple candidates for each group and a final constrained ML detection. Simulation results verify that the proposed algorithm reduces the computational complexity significantly while limiting the performance loss to within 0.2 dB from ML detection. In addition, the complexity of the proposed algorithm is reduced by 60 percent compared with that of a multistage group detection algorithm.