On the Best Lattice Quantizers
Journal article, 2023

A lattice quantizer approximates an arbitrary real-valued source vector with a vector taken from a specific discrete lattice. The quantization error is the difference between the source vector and the lattice vector. In a classic 1996 paper, Zamir and Feder show that the globally optimal lattice quantizer (which minimizes the mean square error) has white quantization error: for a uniformly distributed source, the covariance of the error is the identity matrix, multiplied by a positive real factor. We generalize the theorem, showing that the same property holds (i) for any lattice whose mean square error cannot be decreased by a small perturbation of the generator matrix, and (ii) for an optimal product of lattices that are themselves locally optimal in the sense of (i). We derive an upper bound on the normalized second moment (NSM) of the optimal lattice in any dimension, by proving that any lower- or upper-triangular modification to the generator matrix of a product lattice reduces the NSM. Using these tools and employing the best currently known lattice quantizers to build product lattices, we construct improved lattice quantizers in dimensions 13 to 15, 17 to 23, and 25 to 48. In some dimensions, these are the first reported lattices with normalized second moments below the best known upper bound.

product lattice

Mean square error methods

quantization constant

Voronoi region

vector quantization

normalized second moment

Symmetric matrices

laminated lattice

quantization error

Dither autocorrelation

Quantization (signal)

lattice theory

Lattices

mean square error

Upper bound

moment of inertia

white noise

Generators

Covariance matrices

Author

Erik Agrell

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Communication, Antennas and Optical Networks

Bruce Allen

Max Planck Society

IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

0018-9448 (ISSN) 1557-9654 (eISSN)

Vol. 69 12 7650-7658

Areas of Advance

Information and Communication Technology

Subject Categories

Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

DOI

10.1109/TIT.2023.3291313

More information

Latest update

12/20/2023