A high-SNR normal approximation for single-antenna Rayleigh block-fading channels

This paper concerns the maximal achievable rate at which data can be transmitted over a non-coherent, single-antenna, Rayleigh block-fading channel using an error-correcting code of a given blocklength with a block-error probability not exceeding a given value. In particular, a high-SNR normal approximation of the maximal achievable rate is presented that becomes accurate as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the number of coherence intervals L over which we code tend to infinity. Numerical analyses suggest that the approximation is accurate already at SNR values of 15 dB.