Cross-Correlation Analysis of Generalized Distributed Antenna Systems with Cooperative Diversity

In this paper, geometry-based channel models are proposed to describe the topology of generalized distributed antenna systems with cooperative diversity (GDAS-CD). The system architecture comprises M largely separated access points (APs) at one side of the link, and N geographically closed user terminals (UTs) at the other. The UTs are assumed to be operating in cooperative mode to enhance the system diversity. The average cross-correlation of signals received from noncollocated APs and UTs is derived based on the network topology and the correlation models derived from the empirical data. The analysis is also extended to more general scenarios when the APs are placed in a clustered form. The presented results would provide useful insight into the degree of possible performance improvement from the GDAS-CD.