Blind Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation for OFDM using Efficient Combinations of Esprit and Music

The carrier frequency offset (CFO) is a major impairment degrading orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The CFO is first estimated and then compensated in order to mitigate its negative effects on the system. This article describes a combination of ESPRIT and MUSIC algorithms for blind CFO estimation. This proposed scheme requires only a small increase in the overall complexity in comparison to the ESPRIT algorithm, while being more accurate than each of the original algorithms, especially for high signal-to-noise (SNR) scenarios. Another combination is also proposed for two MUSIC stages with more accurate results in comparison to the original algorithms.