Optimized “Better Than” Raised-Cosine Pulse for Reduced ICI in OFDM Systems

The problem of inter-carrier interference (ICI) in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems has a dramatic impact on their overall performance and robustness. For this reason, various techniques have been proposed in order to eliminate this undesired phenomenon with the most common being the use of transmitter pulse-shaping. Capitalizing on some previous investigations, we herein propose a class of optimized “better-than” raised cosine (BTRC) pulses which makes use of an additional parameter to suppress the ICI effects. More importantly, the optimal value of this new parameter is found to follow a quadratic relationship with the filter’s roll-off factor; consequently, this important property can significantly facilitate the design of practical robust OFDM receivers for use in wireless communication systems.