Rate-optimal MIMO transmission with mean and covariance feedback at low SNR

Abstract

We consider a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication scenario in which the channel follows a general spatially-correlated complex Gaussian distribution with non-zero mean. We derive an explicit characterization of the optimal input covariance from an ergodic rate perspective for systems that operate at low SNRs. This characterization is in terms of the eigen decomposition of a matrix that depends on the mean and the covariance of the channel, and typically results in a beamforming strategy along the principal eigenvector of that matrix. Simulation results show the potential impact of (jointly) exploiting the mean and the covariance of the channel on the ergodic achievable rate at both low and moderate- to-high SNRs.