Differential Quadrature Space-time Media-based Modulation

Abstract Differential spatial modulation has garnered significant attention in recent years. As a large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, it broadens the application range of spatial modulation while retaining the advantages of a single radio frequency (RF) chain and high spectral efficiency. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for channel state information (CSI), making it particularly promising for scenarios involving high-speed movement. In this paper, a differential quadrature space-time media-based modulation (DQSTMBM) system is proposed. It uses the differential approach to mitigate the challenges of detecting complex CSI. It modifies the channel state through media-based modulation and transmits the codirectional and quadrature components of the constellation symbol across different antennas, thereby conveying additional index information that enhances spectral efficiency. Furthermore, the theoretical bit error rate performance of the DQSTMBM system is derived. The experimental results demonstrate that the theoretical performance aligns with the Monte Carlo simulations, which confirms the validity of the proposed system.