Serial Search Based Code Acquisition in the Cooperative MIMO Aided DS-CDMA Downlink

In this paper we investigate a realistic code acquisition assisted cooperative non-coherent (NC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) DS-CDMA downlink scenario, when communicating over uncorrelated single-path and multi-path Rayleigh channels. The probabilities of correct detection and false alarm have been derived analytically. Furthermore, a mean acquisition time (MAT) formula is provided for the cooperative transmission scenario considered. The associated MAT performance trends are characterised as a function of both the number of relay stations (RSs), as well as that of the receive antennas and link imbalance. As opposed to the classic scenario of having co-located MIMO elements, our findings suggest that employing distributed MIMO elements acting as RSs combined with multiple receive antennas leads to an improved MAT performance.