Information-Spectrum Methods in Information Theory

This book opens a novel dimension in the 50 year history of mathematical theory of "information" since the birth of Shannon theory. First of all, it introduces, in place of the traditional notion of entropy and mutual information, the completely new and highly unconventional approach of "information-spectrum" as a basic but powerful tool for constructing the general theory of information. Reconstructing step-by-step all the essential major topics in information theory from the viewpoint of such an "information-spectrum", this comprehensive work provides an accessible introduction to the new type of mathematical theory of information that focuses mainly on general nonstationary and /or nonergodic sources and channels, in clear contrast with the traditional theories of information. This book is a new non-traditional theoretical reference for communication professionals and statisticians specializing in information theory.