Discussion of two-element antenna correlation coefficient and received waveform correlation in a simple multipath environment

In this paper we discuss antenna correlation coefficient and its application in a two-element receiving antenna system within a simple multipath rich environment. We conjecture here, that in general, the antenna correlation coefficient does not necessarily provide an accurate estimation of how well or how poorly a multiple antenna receiving system will perform in a multipath rich environment. In general, the reliability of the communication channel is as much if not more a function of the multipath environment and the choice of diversity scheme or MIMO implementation, factors that the antenna correlation coefficient do not characterize. We consider the performance of a two-element antenna system in a simple multipath rich environment as part of this discussion. Finally, we discuss the significance of the antenna correlation coefficient when two receiving antennas are closely spaced and may be highly coupled.