Gaussian wiretap channel with an amplitude constraint

Abstract

We consider the Gaussian wiretap channel with an amplitude constraint, i.e., a peak power constraint, on the channel input. We show that the entire rate-equivocation region of the Gaussian wiretap channel with an amplitude constraint is obtained by discrete input distributions with finite support. We prove this result by considering the existing single-letter description of the rate-equivocation region, and showing that discrete distributions with finite support exhaust this region. Our result highlights an important difference between the peak power constraint and the average power constraint cases: Although, in the average power constraint case, both the secrecy capacity and the capacity can be achieved simultaneously, our results show that in the peak power constraint case, in general, there is a tradeoff between the secrecy capacity and the capacity, in the sense that, both may not be achieved simultaneously.