Multi-directional self-iterating soft equalization for 2D intersymbol interference

This paper focuses on two-dimensional (2D) soft-input soft-output (SISO) equalization to mitigate intersymbol interference (ISI) among symbols that arise within a 2D array of data cells. The proposed method is based on arranging multiple component equalizers to exchange soft information with one another to enhance decision quality in an iterative manner. The component equalizers are simple one-dimensional linear equalizers running in different directions and do not perform well enough individually in the challenging 2D ISI environment, but working together, they consistently reach high-quality decisions. Performance comparison is made with the reduced-state trellis-based equalizers as well as the conceptually straightforward 2D linear equalizers. The results indicate excellent complexity/performance trade-off options for the proposed scheme.