Phase Precoding for the Compute-and-Forward Protocol

The compute-and-forward (CoF) is a relaying protocol, which uses algebraic structured codes to harness the interference and remove the noise in wireless networks. We propose the use of phase precoders at the transmitters of a network, where relays apply CoF strategy. We define the {\em phase precoded computation rate} and show that it is greater than the original computation rate of CoF protocol. We further give a new low-complexity method for finding network equations. We finally show that the proposed precoding scheme increases the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of CoF protocol. This overcomes the limitations on the DoF of the CoF protocol, recently presented by Niesen and Whiting. Using tools from Diophantine approximation and algebraic geometry, we prove the existence of a phase precoder that approaches the maximum DoF when the number of transmitters tends to infinity.