Diversity order of decode-and-forward MIMO relaying with transmit antenna selection

This article analyzes the diversity order of several proposed schemes, where the transmit antenna selection (TAS) strategies are combined with low-complexity decode-and-forward (DF) protocols in the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relaying scenario. Although antenna selection is a suboptimal form of beamforming, it enjoys the advantages of tractable optimization and low feedback overhead. Specifically, this article proposes schemes that combine TAS strategies with fixed decode-and-forward (FDF) and selection decode-and-forward (SDF) protocols. Following that, the asymptotic expressions of outage probabilities are derived and the diversity order of the proposed schemes analyzed. These kinds of combination of transmit antenna selection strategies and low-complexity decode-and-forward protocols can achieve partial diversity order in the MIMO relaying scenario. The numerical simulations verify the analysis.