Effective number of samples and pseudo-random nonlinear distortions in digital OFDM coded signal

Abstract

This paper concerns theoretical modeling of degradation of signal with OFDM coding caused by pseudo-random nonlinear distortions introduced by an analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converter. A new quantity, effective number of samples, is defined and used for derivation of accurate expressions for autocorrelation function and the total power of the distortions. The derivation is based on probabilistic model of the signal and its transition probability. It is shown, that for digital (discrete and quantized) signals the effective number of samples replaces the total number of samples and is the proper quantity defining their properties.