Square root law for communication with low probability of detection on AWGN channels

Boulat A. Bash, Dennis Goeckel, Don Towsley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a square root limit on low probability of detection (LPD) communication over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. Specifically, if a warden has an AWGN channel to the transmitter with non-zero noise power, we prove that o(√n) bits can be sent from the transmitter to the receiver in n AWGN channel uses with probability of detection by the warden less than ε for any ε > 0, and, if a lower bound on the noise power on the warden's channel is known, then O(√n) bits can be covertly sent in n channel uses. Conversely, trying to transmit more than O(√n) bits either results in detection by the warden with probability one or a non-zero probability of decoding error as n → ∞. Further, we show that LPD communication on the AWGN channel allows one to send a nonzero symbol on every channel use, in contrast to what might be expected from the square root law found recently in image-based steganography.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2012 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory Proceedings, ISIT 2012
Pages448-452
Number of pages5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
Event2012 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, ISIT 2012 - Cambridge, MA, United States
Duration: Jul 1 2012Jul 6 2012

Publication series

NameIEEE International Symposium on Information Theory - Proceedings

Other

Other2012 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, ISIT 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCambridge, MA
Period7/1/127/6/12

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • Information Systems
  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Applied Mathematics

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