Accuracy of Computer Simulations that use Common Pseudo-random Number Generators

Abstract

In computer simulations of communication systems, linear congruential generators and shift registers are typically used to model noise and data sources. These generators are often assumed to be close to ideal (i.e. delta correlated), and an insignificant source of error in the simulation results. The samples generated by these algorithms have non-ideal autocorrelation functions, which may cause a non-uniform distribution in the data or noise signals. This error may cause the simulation bit-error-rate (BER) to be artificially high or low. In this paper, the problem is described through the use of confidence intervals. Tests are performed on several pseudo-random generators to access which ones are acceptable for computer simulation.