An Efficient Maximum Subcarrier Power Detection Scheme for OFDM-IM Systems

As a promising technology, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing-Index Modulation (OFDM-IM) has received significant attention in wireless communication systems. However, as the number of subcarriers increases, the complexity of the Maximum Likelihood (ML) detector grows exponentially. In this paper, we propose a novel detection method, referred to as the Maximum Subcarrier Power (MSP) detection algorithm. The MSP algorithm leverages the power information of each subcarrier to detect its activation status and employs a power threshold to determine the appropriate modulation method. Specifically, the MSP algorithm switches from SIPM-OOFDM to OFDM-IM in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) scenarios. In comparison to ML detection and Log-Likelihood Ratio (LLR) detection techniques based on optimum transceiver design in OFDM-IM, the proposed MSP detection algorithm has lower complexity and is more robust in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) performance at varying noise levels. Additionally, the MSP algorithm effectively reduces the cost of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and the detection time. This consequently leads to enhanced communication efficiency, demonstrating great potential for future low-latency B5G/6G wireless networks.