MQAM Performance over Nakagami channels with diversity

This paper presents the error probability performance for M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (mqam) signalling with L-branch diversity receiver over Nakagami fading channel. Both maximal ratio combining (mrc) and selection diversity combining (sdc) techniques are considered with reference to predetection diversity architecture, in the case of integer values of fading severity and independent fading. Average symbol error probability is analitycally derived in terms of finite sum of Gauss hypergeometric functions for balanced branches with identical values of the fading severity. In particular, performance analysis of sdc for mqam in Nakagami fading is new since it has not been presented in any previous work. Numerical results are presented allowing to identify those operational conditions in which diversity techniques can aid successfully in counteracting the effects of slow and nonselective short-term fading.