This course focuses on the most fundamental elements, processing methods and laws and boundaries stemming from the nature that are encountered in all electrical and electromagnetic communication systems (Internet, mobile networks, WLANs/WiFi, satellite systems, etc.). These include the concepts of filtering and modulation and phenomena like noise, distortion and interference. Also fundamental information theoretic bounds applicable to all communication systems are covered, and how they are related to concepts like bandwidth, energy and noise power.
After passing the course, the student is able to:
- Identify the most common signal level phenomena and signal processing methods behind electromagnetic transmission systems as well as their significance to transmission. These include noise, modulation, and filtering, among others.
- Apply tools of signal and system analysis, such as Fourier transform and convolution, to study, among others, the effects of distortion, noise, and interference caused by the transmission channel and electronic components.
- Explain the characteristics of random signals such as correlation, stationarity, ergodicity, power spectrum, and probability distribution and is able to describe the related mathematical models.
- Explain the characteristics of bandpass signals, such as envelope, phase, and spectral content, and is able to describe the related mathematical models.
- Explain the function and characteristics of most common digital modulation methods used in communication systems. The student is able to justify for practical design decisions from the viewpoint of signal power, bandwidth, and hardware implementation.
- Identify the basic resources related to designing and optimizing communication waveforms and devices such as power and bandwidth and is able to explain the related trade-offs. The student also identifies the basic modules of radio electronics, such as filters and mixers, and is able to explain how they work.
- Identify the basic concepts of information theory such as information, entropy, mutual information, and channel capacity, and is able to explain their significance to transmission.
- Explain and analyze properties of communication waveforms and the operation of communication devices using complex-valued signal models, and based on this, design new communication waveforms.
