A Reduced-Complexity Maximum-Likelihood Detection with a sub-optimal BER Requirement

Abstract: Maximum likelihood (ML) detection is an optimal signal detection scheme, which is often difficult to implement due to its high computational complexity, especially in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scenario. In a system with $N_t$ transmit antennas employing $M$-ary modulation, the ML-MIMO detector requires $M^{N_t}$ cost function (CF) evaluations followed by a search operation for detecting the symbol with the minimum CF value. However, a practical system needs the bit-error ratio (BER) to be application-dependent which could be sub-optimal. This implies that it may not be necessary to have the minimal CF solution all the time. Rather it is desirable to search for a solution that meets the required sub-optimal BER. In this work, we propose a new detector design for a SISO/MIMO system by obtaining the relation between BER and CF which also improves the computational complexity of the ML detector for a sub-optimal BER.