BER performance of linear STBC from orthogonal designs over MIMO correlated Nakagami-m fading channels

This paper presents the evaluation of the average bit error rate (BER) performance of linear space-time block codes (STBC) from orthogonal designs over correlated identically distributed Nakagami-m fading channels. Starting from the moment-generating function (MGF) of the multipath component signals at the antenna array elements, analytical expressions of the BER performance for both integral and nonintegral Nakagami-m fading parameters are derived. Closed-form expressions of the spatial cross-correlation function for mobile nonfrequency selective Nakagami-m fading multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) channels are obtained, which are valid for small angle-of-arrival (AOA) spread. In this expressions, various parameters of interest, such as the mean AOA of the signal, AOA spread, and array configurations, are all taken into account. The effects of antenna array configuration and the operating environment (mean AOA, AOA spread, Nakagami fading parameter) on the BER performance of the system are illustrated by several numerical examples.