Low-complexity dominance-based sphere decoder for MIMO systems

The sphere decoder (SD) is an attractive low-complexity alternative to maximum likelihood (ML) detection in a variety of communication systems. It is also employed in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems where the computational complexity of the optimum detector grows exponentially with the number of transmit antennas. We propose an enhanced version of the SD based on an additional cost function derived from conditions on worst case interference that we call dominance conditions. The proposed detector, the king sphere decoder (KSD), has a computational complexity that results to be not larger than the complexity of the sphere decoder and numerical simulations show that the complexity reduction is usually quite significant.

► We extend the sphere decoding algorithm with the dominance condition. ► We show that the computational complexity of the resulting algorithm is reduced. ► We examine the effect of the correlative MIMO channel on the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm.