An improved decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check codes over the binary erasure channel

This paper presents a new improved decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes over the binary erasure channel (BEC). The proposed algorithm combines the fact that a considerable fraction of unsatisfied check nodes are of degree two with the concept of guessing bits to perform simple graph-theoretic manipulations on the Tanner graph. The proposed decoding algorithm has a complexity similar to present improved decoding algorithms [H. Pishro-Nik et al., 2004]. Simulations of codes of very short lengths over BEC reveal the superiority of our algorithm over present improved decoding algorithms for a wide range of bit error rates.