Antenna effects on the capacity of MIMO communications systems in Rayleigh channels

Multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) is a new technology that promises to significantly increase the capacity of wireless communication systems. MIMO technology increases capacity by exploiting the multipath channel. Unfortunately results presented in the literature (Gesbert et al., Smith et al.) neglect antenna effects. This paper investigates the effect that parameters such as number, spacing, coupling and far field antenna patterns of antennas have on the capacity of MIMO systems in Rayleigh channels.