Skip to main content

Add AWGN Directly to PSD in MATLAB

 

In general, we compute the power spectral density (PSD) of a noisy periodic signal. However, in this article, you will learn how to add noise directly to the PSD of a signal. This process is approximately equivalent to adding noise to a clean signal and then computing its PSD. Here, I will discuss both the theoretical background and the MATLAB implementation.

Steps

1. First, compute the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the clean signal. Then, calculate the Power Spectral Density (PSD) from the FFT.

2. In our case, ensure that the PSD is in the linear scale. Next, compute the noise power from the given Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) using:

    noise_power = signal power / linear SNR
    

3. Then, generate Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) using the formula:

    AWGN noise = sqrt(noise_power) * randn
    

      where randn generates a Gaussian-distributed signal with a mean of 0 and a variance of 1.

 

MATLAB Code 

clc; clear; close all;

%% Define Parameters
fs = 1000; % Sampling frequency (Hz)
T = 0.2; % Time period of sine wave (s)
A = 1; % Amplitude
N = 1024; % Number of samples
t = linspace(-0.5, 0.5, N); % Time vector
f_sin = 5; % Frequency of sine wave (Hz)

%% Generate Periodic Sine Wave
sine_wave = A * sin(2 * pi * f_sin * t);

%% Compute PSD using FFT
Xf = fftshift(fft(sine_wave)); % Compute FFT and shift
PSD = abs(Xf).^2 / N; % Compute Power Spectral Density

%% Generate AWGN in Frequency Domain (Method 1)
snr_dB = 20; % SNR in dB
snr_linear = 10^(snr_dB/10); % Convert SNR to linear scale
signal_power = mean(PSD); % Approximate power of the original spectrum
noise_power = signal_power / snr_linear; % Compute noise power
noise_spectrum = sqrt(noise_power) .* (randn(size(PSD)) + 1j*randn(size(PSD))); % AWGN

%% Add AWGN Directly to PSD
noisy_PSD = PSD + abs(noise_spectrum).^2; % Add noise power to PSD

%% Generate AWGN in Time Domain (Method 2)
noise_time = sqrt(noise_power) * randn(size(sine_wave)); % AWGN in time domain
noisy_sine = sine_wave + noise_time; % Add noise to signal

%% Compute PSD of Noisy Sine Wave
Xf_noisy = fftshift(fft(noisy_sine)); % Compute FFT of noisy signal
PSD_noisy = abs(Xf_noisy).^2 / N; % Compute Power Spectral Density

%% Plot Results
freq = linspace(-fs/2, fs/2, N); % Frequency axis

figure;

% Plot Time-Domain Sine Wave
subplot(3,1,1);
plot(t, sine_wave, 'b', 'LineWidth', 1.5); hold on;
plot(t, noisy_sine, 'r', 'LineWidth', 1.2);
xlabel('Time (s)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
title('Sine Wave Before and After AWGN');
legend('Original Sine Wave', 'Noisy Sine Wave');
grid on;

% Plot PSD Comparison (Direct AWGN to PSD)
subplot(3,1,2);
plot(freq, 10*log10(PSD + eps), 'b', 'LineWidth', 1.5); hold on;
plot(freq, 10*log10(noisy_PSD + eps), 'r', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
xlabel('Frequency (Hz)');
ylabel('Power Spectral Density (dB)');
title('AWGN Added Directly to PSD');
legend('Original PSD', 'PSD with Direct AWGN');
grid on;

% Plot PSD Comparison (AWGN in Time Domain)
subplot(3,1,3);
plot(freq, 10*log10(PSD + eps), 'b', 'LineWidth', 1.5); hold on;
plot(freq, 10*log10(PSD_noisy + eps), 'g', 'LineWidth', 1.5);
xlabel('Frequency (Hz)');
ylabel('Power Spectral Density (dB)');
title('PSD: Original vs. PSD from Noisy Sine Wave');
legend('Original PSD', 'PSD from Noisy Signal');
grid on;

Output

 





Copy the MATLAB Code from here 

 

Further Reading 

  1. Periodogram in MATLAB

Contact Us

Name

Email *

Message *

Popular Posts

Online Simulator for ASK, FSK, and PSK

Interactive Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Tutorial and Simulator for ASK, FSK, and BPSK modulation techniques. Try our new Digital Signal Processing Simulator!   •   Interactive ASK, FSK, and BPSK tools updated for 2025. Start Now Digital Modulation Visualizer: ASK, FSK, & BPSK Simulator Learn and visualize binary modulation techniques (ASK, FSK, BPSK) in real-time with adjustable carrier and sampling parameters. Perfect for DSP students and engineers. 📡 ASK Simulator 📶 FSK Simulator 🎚️ BPSK Simulator 📚 More Topics ASK Modulator FSK Modulator BPSK Modulator More Topics 1. ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) Simulato...

MATLAB code for BER vs SNR for M-QAM, M-PSK, QPSk, BPSK, ...(with Online Simulator)

🧮 MATLAB Code for BPSK, M-ary PSK, and M-ary QAM Together 🧮 MATLAB Code for M-ary QAM 🧮 MATLAB Code for M-ary PSK 📚 Further Reading MATLAB Script for BER vs. SNR for M-QAM, M-PSK, QPSK, BPSK % Written by Salim Wireless clc; clear; close all; snr_db = -5:2:25; psk_orders = [2, 4, 8, 16, 32]; qam_orders = [4, 16, 64, 256]; ber_psk_results = zeros(length(psk_orders), length(snr_db)); ber_qam_results = zeros(length(qam_orders), length(snr_db)); for i = 1:length(psk_orders) ber_psk_results(i, :) = berawgn(snr_db, 'psk', psk_orders(i), 'nondiff'); end for i = 1:length(qam_orders) ber_qam_results(i, :) = berawgn(snr_db, 'qam', qam_orders(i)); end figure; semilogy(snr_db, ber_psk_results(1, :), 'o-', 'LineWidth', 1.5, 'DisplayName', 'BPSK'); hold on; for i = 2:length(psk_orders) semilogy(snr_db, ber_psk_results(i, :), 'o-', 'DisplayName', sprintf('%d-PSK', psk_or...

UGC NET Electronic Science Previous Year Question Papers

Home / Engineering & Other Exams / UGC NET 2022 PYQ 📥 Download UGC NET Electronics PDFs Complete collection of previous year question papers, answer keys and explanations for Subject Code 88. Start Downloading UGC-NET (Electronics Science, Subject code: 88) Subject_Code : 88; Department : Electronic Science; 📂 View All Question Papers Q. UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper [June 2025] A. UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [June 2025] with full explanation Q. UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper [December 2024] A. UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper With Answer Key Download Pdf [December 2024] Q. UGC Net Electronic Science Question Paper [Aug 2024] A. UGC Net Electronic Scien...

MATLAB Code for Zero-Forcing (ZF) Beamforming in 4×4 MIMO Systems

MATLAB Code for Zero-Forcing (ZF) Beamforming in 4×4 MIMO Systems clc; clear; close all; %% Parameters Nt = 4; % Transmit antennas Nr = 4; % Receive antennas (must be >= Nt for ZFBF) numBits = 1e4; % Number of bits per stream SNRdB = 0; % SNR in dB numRuns = 100; % Number of independent runs for averaging %% Precompute noise standard deviation noiseSigma = 10^(-SNRdB / 20); %% Accumulator for total errors totalErrors = 0; for run = 1:numRuns % Generate random bits: [4 x 10000] bits = randi([0 1], Nt, numBits); % BPSK modulation: 0 → +1, 1 → -1 txSymbols = 1 - 2 * bits; % Rayleigh channel matrix: [4 x 4] H = (randn(Nr, Nt) + 1j * randn(Nr, Nt)) / sqrt(2); %% === Zero Forcing Beamforming at Transmitter === W_zf = pinv(H); % Precoding matrix: [Nt x Nr] txPrecoded = W_zf * txSymbols; % Apply ZF precoding % Normalize transmit power (optional but useful) txPrecoded = txPrecoded / sqrt(mean(abs(txPrecoded(:)).^2)); %% Channel transmission with AWGN noise = noiseSigma * (randn(...

BER vs SNR for M-ary QAM, M-ary PSK, QPSK, BPSK, ...(MATLAB Code + Simulator)

Bit Error Rate (BER) & SNR Guide Analyze communication system performance with our interactive simulators and MATLAB tools. 📘 Theory 🧮 Simulators 💻 MATLAB Code 📚 Resources BER Definition SNR Formula BER Calculator MATLAB Comparison 📂 Explore M-ary QAM, PSK, and QPSK Topics ▼ 🧮 Constellation Simulator: M-ary QAM 🧮 Constellation Simulator: M-ary PSK 🧮 BER calculation for ASK, FSK, and PSK 🧮 Approaches to BER vs SNR What is Bit Error Rate (BER)? The BER indicates how many corrupted bits are received compared to the total number of bits sent. It is the primary figure of merit for a...

Theoretical vs. simulated BER vs. SNR for ASK, FSK, and PSK (MATLAB Code + Simulator)

📘 Overview 🧮 Simulator 💻 Theoretical Code 📊 Simulated Code 📚 Resources Overview BER vs. SNR denotes how many bits in error are received for a given signal-to-noise ratio, typically measured in dB. Common noise types in wireless systems: 🚀 1. Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) 🌊 2. Rayleigh Fading AWGN adds random noise; Rayleigh fading attenuates the signal variably. A good SNR helps reduce these effects. Bit Error Rate (BER) Equations BER formulas for ASK, FSK, and PSK modulation schemes. ASK BER = 0.5 × erfc(0.5 × √SNR) FSK BER = 0.5 × erfc(√(SNR / 2)) PSK BER = 0.5 × erfc(√SNR) erfc / Q-function (Click here) Live BER S...

Constellation Diagrams of ASK, PSK, and FSK (with MATLAB Code + Simulator)

Constellation Diagrams: ASK, FSK, and PSK Comprehensive guide to signal space representation, including interactive simulators and MATLAB implementations. 📘 Overview 🧮 Simulator ⚖️ Theory 📚 Resources Definitions Constellation Tool Key Points MATLAB Code 📂 Other Topics: M-ary PSK & QAM Diagrams ▼ 🧮 Simulator for M-ary PSK Constellation 🧮 Simulator for M-ary QAM Constellation BASK (Binary ASK) Modulation Transmits one of two signals: 0 or -√Eb, where Eb​ is the energy per bit. These signals represent binary 0 and 1. BFSK (Binary FSK) Modulation Transmits one...

DFTs-OFDM vs OFDM: Why DFT-Spread OFDM Reduces PAPR Effectively (with MATLAB Code)

Understanding PAPR in DFT-spread OFDM vs. Standard OFDM In modern wireless communications like 4G LTE and 5G NR, managing the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) is critical for hardware efficiency. While OFDM is the gold standard for high-speed data, its high PAPR poses significant challenges for mobile devices. This is where DFTs-OFDM (also known as SC-FDMA) comes in. DFT-spread OFDM (DFTs-OFDM) has lower Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) because it "spreads" the data in the frequency domain before applying IFFT, making the time-domain signal behave more like a single-carrier signal rather than a multi-carrier one like OFDM. Deeper Explanation: Aspect OFDM DFTs-OFDM Signal Type Multi-carrier Single-carrier-like Process IFFT of QAM directly QAM → DFT → IFFT PAPR Level High (due to many...