Equivalent Sampled Delay-Doppler (ESDD) Channel Models for ODDM Over Highly-Spread Channels

Delay-Doppler (DD) domain modulation such as orthogonal DD division multiplexing (ODDM) has been recently explored for communications over doubly selective channels. This paper derives equivalent sampled (on-grid) DD (ESDD) channel models for the effective discrete-time channels in ODDM systems over highly-spread off-grid physical channels with delay and Doppler shifts that can exceed the subpulse spacing and subtone spacing, respectively, of the DD orthogonal pulse (DDOP). The derived ESDD models account for i) off-grid delay and Doppler shifts present in practical physical channels, ii) sample-wise pulse shaping at the transmitter, and iii) matched filtering and windowing at the receiver. We then investigate the supports of the ESDD models and their implications on the input-output (IO) relation of ODDM adopting more general pulses and windows over highly-spread physical channels. In particular, we show that the digital sequences of ODDM <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">couple finely</i> with on-grid discrete-time DD channels, which leads to compact IO relation. We also analyze the folding and aliasing of the ESDD channel and their influence on the fading effect and predictability of effective channels experienced by the DD-domain symbols of ODDM. Based on the results, we identify conditions under which the ESDD channels can be estimated directly from embedded DD-domain pilots in a single ODDM frame. Finally, numerical results are provided to further demonstrate the findings of this paper.