Markov modeling of a digital symbol synchronizer in cochannel interference

A new approach is taken to analyze the effect of one or more cochannel interferers on the performance of a digital symbol synchronizer. It is shown that the synchronizer which employs discrete phase adjustment can be analyzed using a Markov chain model. Previously, results for this problem have been obtained exclusively by computer simulation. We show that the effect of any number of interferers may be added to the model without increasing the number of states in the chain. Closed form expressions for root mean square timing error, mean time to acquire, and mean symbol slip time are presented for any combination of in-phase or out-of-phase interferers for both square and shaped binary PAM pulses