Quantum Search-Aided Multi-User Detection of IDMA-Assisted Multi-Layered Video Streaming

Moore’s law is expected to lead to the gates of the quantum world in 2017. Therefore, the emerging quantum computing research is expected to give rise to novel quantum search algorithms, which may replace the currently used classical ones in wireless communications, leading to performance improvements and complexity reduction. In this paper, we demonstrate the benefits of quantum-assisted multi-user detection (QMUD) in the uplink of a multi-user system, where the reference user conveys a multi-layered video stream to the base station, while using adaptive modulation and different rates per video layer. This is the first study, where a QMUD is employed in a video application. The QMUD does not treat the rest of the users as interference, but rather detects the signals transmitted by all the users. We have evaluated the system’s performance both in terms of its bit error ratio and peak signal-to-noise ratio versus the channel’s signal-to-noise ratio, while quantifying the complexity reduction achieved by using the QMUD instead of the optimal classical maximum a posteriori probability MUD. The effect of the number of users on the system’s performance is also quantified.