Message-Cognizant Assistance and Feedback for the Gaussian Channel

Abstract: A formula is derived for the capacity of the Gaussian channel with a benevolent message-cognizant rate-limited helper that provides a noncausal description of the noise to the encoder and decoder. This capacity is strictly larger than when the helper is message oblivious, with the difference being particularly pronounced at low signal-to-noise ratios. It is shown that in this setup, a feedback link from the receiver to the encoder does not increase capacity. However, in the presence of such a link, said capacity can be achieved even if the helper is oblivious to the transmitted message.