The error event probability for a Viterbi detector on a magnetic recording channel with electronic and signal dependent media noise

Abstract

It is well known that the magnetic recording channel is distorted by both electronic and signal dependent media noise, where the dominant terms in media noise result in both time and width jitter of the ideal transition response. Using a second order Taylor series approximation to the microtrack media noise model, we first derive an expression for the media noise distribution associated with a single transition. Next, assuming that the media noise contributions from distinct transitions are independent, we derive an expression for the error event probability of a Viterbi detector operating in the presence of both electronic (additive Gaussian) noise and media noise.