Achievable full decode and forward rates for Cooperative MIMO BICM systems

A generic cooperative MIMO BICM system is described. Achievable rates are computed based on the extended equivalent binary input channel model of the original BICM system. Full decode and forward is assumed at the relay node. Two types of two-phased transmission/reception protocols are employed to establish orthogonal transmission/reception of the relay node. The achievable rate results are provided for different combinations of modulation orders and the number of antennas used at the source and relay nodes. Quantitative results provided in this paper could serve as a guide on when to engage cooperative transmission and how to choose proper constellations and puncturing ratios for the practical BICM coded systems. Comparison of the considered BICM system with other possible cooperative coded systems is also crucial that this paper due to lack of space for exposition misses to address.