Viterbi decoder algorithm output dimension problem

1. What problem does Viterbi algorithm solve?
2. What is traceback depth in Viterbi decoder?
3. Why Viterbi decoding is efficient?

What problem does Viterbi algorithm solve?

The Viterbi algorithm is a dynamic programming algorithm for obtaining the maximum a posteriori probability estimate of the most likely sequence of hidden states—called the Viterbi path—that results in a sequence of observed events, especially in the context of Markov information sources and hidden Markov models (HMM).

What is traceback depth in Viterbi decoder?

Traceback depth, specified as an integer that indicates the number of trellis branches used to construct each traceback path. The traceback depth influences the decoding delay. The decoding delay is the number of zero symbols that precede the first decoded symbol in the output.

Why Viterbi decoding is efficient?

It is widely used in communication and signal processing to achieve low-error-rate data transmission. The Viterbi decoding method uses the maximum likelihood decoding (MLD) algorithm, which finds the most likely pattern from the received data, and is known as the optimum decoding method [1].