Reduced-Complexity Stack Decoder for MIMO Systems

In this work, we propose a novel sequential decoder for MIMO systems termed the Zigzag Stack decoder. The algorithm combines the search strategy of the Stack decoder with the Schnorr-Euchner zigzagging method. We show that the Zigzag Stack provides ML performance with a reduced complexity compared to the original Stack decoder and a complexity reduction of 40% in average over the commonly used sphere decoder.