Sparse Channel Estimation with Distorted Signals for UWB OFDM Systems

The power amplifier (PA) is an indispensable part of ultra-wideband (UWB) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Nevertheless, it will produce nonlinear distortions, degrading the accuracy of channel estimation and thus the performance of the system. To improve the system performance, it is essential to investigate channel estimation using distorted signals. Taking advantage of the sparsity of the UWB channel, a sparse channel estimation method using distorted signals is proposed in this letter, referred to as sparse channel estimation combined with power amplifier nonlinear cancellation (SCE-PANC). Within SCE-PANC, the measurement matrix is constructed only with pilot subcarriers and nonlinear distortions will be eliminated iteratively. The numerical results show that the proposed method has a better performance than the state-of-the-art methods.