Performance analysis of optimum combining with multiple interferers in flat Rayleigh fading

This paper is a performance analysis of optimum combining in the presence of multiple equal power interferers and noise when the number of interferers is less than the number of antenna elements. Desired signal and interferers are subject to flat Rayleigh fading, and the propagation channels are independent. An approximate expression of the probability density function of the output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is derived analytically. It is then applied to obtain the cumulative distribution function of the SINR, and the bit-error rate (BER) of some binary modulations, including coherent binary phase-shift keying. In the case of a single interferer, an exact analysis is performed to prove the validity of the approximation. In the case of multiple interferers, the accuracy of the approximation is assessed through simulations. Although limited to equipower interferers, this analysis is a convenient way of assessing the performance of optimum combining in some typical situations and comparing it with that of maximal-ratio combining. The final results are remarkably simple and provide a useful complement to previous analyzes, especially in the region of reasonably high BERs which are of practical interest.