High-order exponential approximations for the Gaussian Q-function obtained by genetic algorithm

Abstract

This article presents new and accurate approximations for the Gaussian Q-function, which is an important tool in the field of communication theory. A genetic algorithm was employed to find the optimum coefficients of the proposed approximations. The accuracy of the new approximations was examined and compared with those of previous works in the literature. It was shown that the presented high-order exponential approximations provide better accuracy compared to the previously introduced approximations, in general, at the cost of slightly increased mathematical complexity.

Keywords:

• digital communications
• gaussian Q-function
• genetic algorithm
• absolute relative error

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions.