Exact bit error probability of orthogonal space-time block codes with quadrature amplitude modulation

In this paper, the performance of generic orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBCs) introduced by Alamouti [2], Tarokh [3], and Su and Xia [11] is analyzed. We first define one-dimensional component symbol error function (ODSEF) from the exact expression of the pairwise error probability of an OSTBC. Utilizing the ODSEF and the bit error probability (BEP) expression for quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) introduced by Cho and Yoon [9], the exact closed-form expressions for the BEP of linear OSTBCs with QAM in quasi-static Rayleigh fading channel are derived. We also derive the exact closed-form of the BEP for some OSTBCs which have at least one message symbol transmitted with unequal power via all transmit antennas.