On the Minimum Mean $p$-th Error in Gaussian Noise Channels and its Applications

The problem of estimating an arbitrary random vector from its observation corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise, where the cost function is taken to be the Minimum Mean $p$-th Error (MMPE), is considered. The classical Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) is a special case of the MMPE. Several bounds, properties and applications of the MMPE are derived and discussed. The optimal MMPE estimator is found for Gaussian and binary input distributions. Properties of the MMPE as a function of the input distribution, SNR and order $p$ are derived. In particular, it is shown that the MMPE is a continuous function of $p$ and SNR. These results are possible in view of interpolation and change of measure bounds on the MMPE. The `Single-Crossing-Point Property' (SCPP) that bounds the MMSE for all SNR values {\it above} a certain value, at which the MMSE is known, together with the I-MMSE relationship is a powerful tool in deriving converse proofs in information theory. By studying the notion of conditional MMPE, a unifying proof (i.e., for any $p$) of the SCPP is shown. A complementary bound to the SCPP is then shown, which bounds the MMPE for all SNR values {\it below} a certain value, at which the MMPE is known. As a first application of the MMPE, a bound on the conditional differential entropy in terms of the MMPE is provided, which then yields a generalization of the Ozarow-Wyner lower bound on the mutual information achieved by a discrete input on a Gaussian noise channel. As a second application, the MMPE is shown to improve on previous characterizations of the phase transition phenomenon that manifests, in the limit as the length of the capacity achieving code goes to infinity, as a discontinuity of the MMSE as a function of SNR. As a final application, the MMPE is used to show bounds on the second derivative of mutual information, that tighten previously known bounds.