Second-order statistics over correlated dual-hop Rayleigh fading channels

The level crossing rates (LCR) and average fade duration (AFD) are derived and evaluated for correlated dualhop Rayleigh fading channels, where an amplify-and-forward (AF) relay with a fixed gain is considered. The underlying inphase and quadrature processes of a Rayleigh fading envelope are modeled, and their auto- and cross-correlation functions are derived. Based on the correlation functions, the LCR of correlated dual-hop Rayleigh fading channels is derived first. Then, the AFD is obtained. Numerical results of the LCR and AFD for different correlation coefficients are presented and compared.