Multicarrier CDMA system with parallel interference cancellation in fading channels

Multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) is a scheme that combines multicarrier modulation with direct sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS). In this paper, the MC-CDMA receivers which employ a multiple access interference cancellation algorithm are analyzed. Using theoretical analysis and computer simulations, the performance of MC-CDMA with parallel interference cancellation (PIC) receivers is investigated. In particular, the impacts of the initial stage on the performance of the receivers are studied. A lower bound for the error probability is derived and verified by computer simulation. The results show us the considerably large improvement in performance can be obtained by interference cancellation techniques, especially in capacity, compared with the conventional receiver, system capacity improvement of a factor of two or more can be achieved.