Deconstructing space-frequency correlated ultrawideband MIMO channels

Conventional correlation models fail to accurately represent the correlation properties of ultrawideband (UWB) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. In our previous work, a framework for constructing correlated UWB MIMO channel models was proposed, where spatial correlation was introduced into both the multipath amplitude and time-of-arrival (ToA) in the channel impulse response. Based on this framework, in this paper we first present a simplified UWB MIMO channel model that represents a reasonable compromise between analytical tractability and model accuracy. We show that this model yields a structured space-frequency (SF) channel covariance matrix, making it suitable for theoretical system performance analysis. To illustrate the merit of this model, we apply it to evaluate the maximum diversity order in SF coded UWB MIMO systems. In contrast to previous work based on conventional wideband MIMO correlated channel models, we show that the maximum diversity order of a UWB MIMO system is not limited by the sum of the ranks of multipath amplitude correlation matrices.