Quasi-orthogonal STBC with minimum decoding complexity: further results

A new class of quasi-orthogonal space-time block code (QO-STBC) namely minimum-decoding-complexity QO-STBC (MDC-QOSTBC) has recently been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we analyze some of its essential code parameters and code properties. Specifically we derive its maximum achievable code rate expression for any number of transmit antennas. We also derive the closed form expression of its diversity product and use it to obtain the optimum constellation rotation in order to achieve optimum decoding performance. Other performance benefits of MDC-QOSTBC, such as low decoding complexity, good coding gain and power distribution property, flexibility in supporting any constellation and number of transmit antennas, are also presented and discussed.