M.Sc. Program (Digital Communication Systems and Technology)

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ACADEMIC COURSEWORKS (Sept'97 - Nov'98)

1. Digital Signal Processing (Part A&B)

Part A: Mathematical representation of discrete signals and systems. Analysis in the time and frequency domains. Convolution. Discrete Fourier transform. Ideal filters. Z-transform and stability. State-variable description and system architecture. Design of digital FIR and IPR filters. Decimation and interpolation.

Part B: Digital processing of random signals. Optimum causal and non-causal Wiener-filters. Spectral analysis using non-parametric Fourier-based techniques. Adaptive filtering and Kalman filtering. Applications. Spectral analysis using parametric AR and ARMA-based methods. Introduction to high-resolution techniques.

2. Communication Theory (Part A&B)

Part A: Deals with the fundamentals of digital communication systems: how they are normally designed, advantages and drawbacks with analog and digital communication systems, performance analyses with respect to bit and symbol error probabilities and spectral efficiency.

Part B: Covers signal processing techniques that are used in digital communication systems: linear prediction, estimation, and quantization. The techniques are general but the focus is on source (speech) coding in modern telephone and radio systems.

3. Random Processes

Covers fundamental theory for signals with random variations, with focus on wide-sense stationary continuous-time signals.

4. Data Communication

Specification and standardization of data communication systems and networks: the OSI model, interfaces, modems, synchronous and asynchronous communication, line procedures, and data link interfaces.

5. Satellite Links

Introduction to digital communication systems, networks, and transmission links. The main goal is to understand the design of a satellite communication system in terms of the power budget of the link.
(Project "Design of Satellite Commmunication Systems for Mobile Terminal in Mediteranean Area")

6. Digital Image Processing

Theoretical and technological fundamentals of computer-aided image generation, coding, restoration, classification, and interpretation are presented.
(Project "Edge Detection using Dynamic Programing")

7. Digital Radio Communication

System specification and capacity dimensioning of digital mobile radio-telephone systems and components: cellular radio, the GSM concept, digital radio links, network control functions, traffic protocols, and adaptive equalizers for fading compensation in radio transmission.
(Project "The Viterbi Algorithm Application in Detection and Equalization")

8. Fiber Optics

Fundamental properties and limitations of fiber-optic communication systems, including the impact of transmitters, optical fibers, optical amplifiers, and receivers. The course gives information about various system concepts and knowledge to design and evaluate systems.

9. Information Theory

Covers fundamental information-theoretic concepts such as information measures, entropy channel capacity, Shannon's coding theorem. Theory and methods for message protection using error-detecting and error-correcting codes.

10. Radar and Communication systems

Covers fundamentals of radar and microwave communication systems, i.e., the radar equation and the link equation, and more detailed studies of the design of radars, radar tracking methods, detection theory, radar waveforms, and propagation effects. Applications are radar remote sensing of oceans, earth and atmosphere, propagation issues for terrestrial communication links, and mobile communications.

11. M.Sc. Thesis "Modeling the Impulse Response of an Office Room."

Students are required to write a diploma thesis to complete their Master's degrees. The topic selected should be related to one of the subjects studied during the course of study. This work gives the student some training in individual research and experience in project planning. About five months of full-time work is required.