Data driven algorithms to tune physical layer parameters of an underwater communication link

The design of a communication system is closely linked to assumptions about the nature of the channel. A vast majority of the components of a modern communication system are implemented in software, affording us the ability to fine tune their parameters during operation. The objective for tuning the parameters could be to optimize data rates, protect against errors, minimize power, and so on. If the physics of the channel is completely known, it is possible to determine the values of these parameters for a given objective. However in practice, it is quite difficult to know the state of the channel completely. The parameters usually interact with each other, so tuning them in isolation is often not possible. We present a data driven approach for tuning the physical layer parameters of a communication link to optimize data rates, assuming the channel remains static over the course of a file transfer. Our approach does not need any knowledge of the physics of the channel. We illustrate the application of our approach in the context of an underwater communication link.