The DCT Neuron for Estimation and Compensation of Amplitude Distortions in OFDM Systems

We present a receiver-side framework for identifying amplitude distortions in frequency-selective OFDM channels. The core novelty is the use of the DCT Neuron, a compact adaptive processor based on the discrete cosine transform (DCT), to characterize the channel's nonlinear response, leveraging its properties for highly efficient estimation. Operating directly in the time domain, the method builds an accurate signal model and tracks channel variations adaptively, achieving reliable identification with as few as two OFDM symbols. The learned nonlinear response can then be exploited for predistortion and iterative decoding, enabling low-complexity, real-time adaptive compensation of complex responses in multicarrier systems.