Computability of the Channel Reliability Function and Related Bounds

Abstract

The channel reliability function is an important tool that characterizes the reliable transmission of messages over communication channels. For many channels, only upper and lower bounds of the function are known. We analyze the computability of the reliability function and its related functions. We show that the reliability function is not a Turing computable performance function. The same also applies to the functions related to the sphere packing bound and the expurgation bound. Furthermore, we consider the $R_\infty$ function and the zero-error feedback capacity, since they play an important role in the context of the reliability function. Both the $R_\infty$ function and the zero-error feedback capacity are not Banach Mazur computable.