Prototyping and FPGA-based MAP synchronizer for very high rate FQPSK

While fundamental formulations of maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation for symbol timing [1] have been in exisence for some time, it has generally not seen widespread usage in communications receivers due to its relatively greater complexity in comparison to other designs. However, MAP has been shown to provide significant performance advantages for the acquisition and tracking of digital modulations under low SNR conditions when compared to traditional techniques, such as the data transition tracking loop [2].