Analysis of M-QAM-OFDM Transmission System Performance in the Presence of Phase Noise and Nonlinear Amplifiers

The performance evaluation of M-QAM-OFDM transmission systems in the presence of phase noise and non-linear distortions due to High-Power-Amplifiers (HPA) is presented. A theoretical analysis enables us to derive the Bit Error Rate and to relate it to the HPA-distorted signal spectrum. The phase noise distortion effects are also taken into account by modeling the phase noise as a Wiener Lèvy process. It is shown that with a simple way to compensate the phase distortion within an OFDM symbol, the system can still work also in the presence of relevant phase noise. An example of application is reported.