A Unified Framework for Optimizing Linear Nonregenerative Multicarrier MIMO Relay Communication Systems

In this paper, we develop a unified framework for linear nonregenerative multicarrier multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay communications in the absence of the direct source–destination link. This unified framework classifies most commonly used design objectives such as the minimal mean-square error and the maximal mutual information into two categories: Schur-concave and Schur-convex functions. We prove that for Schur-concave objective functions, the optimal source precoding matrix and relay amplifying matrix jointly diagonalize the source–relay–destination channel matrix and convert the multicarrier MIMO relay channel into parallel single-input single-output (SISO) relay channels. While for Schur-convex objectives, such joint diagonalization occurs after a specific rotation of the source precoding matrix. After the optimal structure of the source and relay matrices is determined, the linear nonregenerative relay design problem boils down to the issue of power loading among the resulting SISO relay channels. We show that this power loading problem can be efficiently solved by an alternating technique. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.