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 Signal Generation

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 Demodulation More Topics 1. ASK (Ampli...

UGC NET Electronic Science Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions

Download Papers and Solutions Exam Pattern Preparation Tips FAQs More Home / Engineering & Other Exams / UGC NET 2026 PYQ 📊 Exam Highlights: Electronic Science (88) Feature Details Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) ₹37,000 + HRA per month Eligibility M.Sc/M.Tech in Electronics (55%) Validity of Certificate JRF (3 Years) | Lectureship (Lifetime) 📥 Download UGC NET Electronics PDFs Complete collection of previous year question papers, answer keys and explanations for Subject Code 88. Start Downloading 📂 View All Question Papers June 2025 - Question Paper Download PDF June 2025 - Sol...

Direction of Arrival (DoA) Online Simulator (using MUSIC)

Interactive DOA Simulator X-axis XY angle (deg): 45 XZ angle (deg): 30 Noise: 0.05 Y-axis XY angle (deg): 60 YZ angle (deg): 45 Noise: 0.05 Z-axis XZ angle (deg): 60 YZ angle (deg): 30 Noise: 0.05 Estimated DOA (deg): 0 Simulation Workflow and Mathematical Background This simulator demonstrates Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation using three-axis sensor signals (X, Y, Z), Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) , and the MUSIC algorithm . It allows interactive control of signal angles and noise for teaching purposes. 1. Signal Generation A pure sinewave signal of frequency f is projected onto three axes using user-defined angles in different planes: X-axis: θ XY , θ XZ Y-axis: θ XY , θ YZ Z-axis: θ XZ , θ YZ Mathematically, for each time sample t : x(t) = s(t) * cos(θ_xy_x) * cos(θ_xz_x) + n_x(t) y(t) = s(t) * sin(θ_xy_y) * cos(θ_yz_y) + n_y(t) z(t) = s(t) * sin(θ_xz_z) * sin(θ_yz_z) + n_z(t) wh...

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 📈 Q-function 📚 Resources BASK Modulation Transmits one of two signals: 0 or $\sqrt{E_b}$, representing binary 0 and 1. Simple but sensitive to noise. BFSK Modulation Transmits one of two signals: $\sqrt{E_b}$ on the Y-axis or $\sqrt{E_b}$ on the X-axis. These are orthogonal signals. BPSK Modulation Transmits $+\sqrt{E_b}$ or $-\sqrt{E_b}$ (antipodal signaling). Most efficient binary scheme. ...

OFDM Symbols and Subcarriers Explained

This article explains how OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols and subcarriers work. It covers modulation, mapping symbols to subcarriers, subcarrier frequency spacing, IFFT synthesis, cyclic prefix, and transmission. Step 1: Modulation First, modulate the input bitstream. For example, with 16-QAM , each group of 4 bits maps to one QAM symbol. Suppose we generate a sequence of QAM symbols: s0, s1, s2, s3, s4, s5, …, s63 Step 2: Mapping Symbols to Subcarriers Assume N sub = 8 subcarriers. Each OFDM symbol in the frequency domain contains 8 QAM symbols (one per subcarrier): Mapping (example) OFDM symbol 1 → s0, s1, s2, s3, s4, s5, s6, s7 OFDM symbol 2 → s8, s9, s10, s11, s12, s13, s14, s15 … OFDM sym...

MATLAB Code for MUSIC

  MATLAB Code clc; clear; close all ; %% Step 1: Define Parameters M = 8; % Number of array sensors d = 0.5; % Sensor spacing (lambda/2) K = 2; % Number of signals N = 200; % Number of snapshots theta = [-20 30]; % True signal angles (degrees) SNR = 10; % Signal-to-noise ratio (dB) fprintf( 'Step 1: Parameters Initialized\n' ); %% Step 2: Generate Signal Sources t = 1:N; s1 = exp(1j*2*pi*0.05*t); s2 = exp(1j*2*pi*0.1*t); S = [s1; s2]; figure; plot(real(S(1,:))) title( 'Signal 1 (Real Part)' ) xlabel( 'Samples' ) ylabel( 'Amplitude' ) figure; plot(real(S(2,:))) title( 'Signal 2 (Real Part)' ) xlabel( 'Samples' ) ylabel( 'Amplitude' ) fprintf( 'Step 2: Source Signals Generated\n' ); %% Step 3: Construct Steering Matrix A = zeros(M,K); for k = 1:K A(:,k) = exp(-1j*2*pi*d*(0:M-1)'*sin(theta(k)*pi/180)); end fprintf( 'Step 3: Steering Matr...