Performance analysis of cooperative MIMO systems using Decode and Forward relaying

In this paper, considering a source, a relay and a destination with multiple antennas, we provide the exact Bit Error Probability (BEP) of dual-hop cooperative Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems using Decode and Forward (DF) relaying for Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation assuming independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. When the source or the relay has multiple antennas, it employs an Orthogonal Space Time Block Code (OSTBC) to transmit. The receiver uses a Maximum Likelihood (ML) decoder. We derive the expressions of the Moment Generating Functions (MGF), the Probability Density Functions (PDF) of the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the exact and asymptotic BEP at the destination then we compare theoretical results to simulation ones. The analysis is performed in the presence or absence of the direct link. We also derive the diversity order and we study the effect of the number of antennas equipped with the source, the relay and the destination on the end-to-end BEP.