Exact thresholds and optimal codes for the binary-symmetric channel and Gallager's decoding algorithm A

We show that for the case of the binary-symmetric channel and Gallager's decoding algorithm A the threshold can, in many cases, be determined analytically. More precisely, we show that the threshold is always upper-bounded by the minimum of (1-/spl lambda//sub 2//spl rho/'(1))/(/spl lambda/'(1)/spl rho/'(1)-/spl lambda//sub 2//spl rho/'(1)) and the smallest positive real root /spl tau/ of a specific polynomial p(x) and we observe that for most cases this bound is tight, i.e., it determines the threshold exactly. We also present optimal degree distributions for a large range of rates. In the case of rate one-half codes, for example, the threshold x/sub 0//sup */ of the optimal degree distribution is given by x/sup *//sub 0//spl sim/0.0513663. Finally, we outline how thresholds of more complicated decoders might be determined analytically.