Analysis of Generalized Selection Diversity Systems in Wireless Channels

Motivated by practical considerations in the design of low-complexity receiver structures for wideband cellular code division multiple access, millimeter wave, and ultrawideband communications, the study on the generalized selection combining (GSC) receiver that adaptively combines a subset of M "strongest" paths out of L available paths has intensified over the past few years. This paper derives concise analytical expressions for the moment generating function (MGF) of the GSC(M,L) output signal-to-noise ratio when the fading statistics are independent and identically distributed. The novelty of this mathematical framework in computing the MGF relies on the fact that it allows all common multipath fading channel models (Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami-m, and Nakagami-q) to be treated in a unified sense. It also leads to a much more computationally efficient formula than those available in the literature and is valid for any combinations of M and L values. Using these newly derived MGFs, a unified error probability analysis for many coherent and noncoherent digital-modulation/detection schemes in a myriad of fading environments was provided