What is turbo code?

Turbo codes are a type of error-correcting code that use two or more convolutional codes in parallel to improve the error-correcting performance. They were first introduced in the 1990s by Claude Berrou and Alain Glavieux, and are now widely used in digital communication systems such as satellite and mobile communications.

The principle behind turbo codes is to use two separate encoder/decoder pairs, each encoding and decoding the same message in parallel. The outputs of the two encoders are combined in a way that provides improved error correction capabilities, making it possible to achieve transmission rates that are close to the Shannon limit for a given channel.

Turbo codes are considered to be one of the most powerful coding schemes available today, offering superior performance compared to other types of codes, such as Reed-Solomon codes or block codes. They are also highly resilient to burst errors, making them ideal for use in noisy communication channels.

Despite their many advantages, turbo codes can be quite complex and require significant computational resources to implement. However, advances in technology have made it possible to use turbo codes in a wide range of applications, from satellite communications to wireless networks and beyond.