Multiple antennas help in combating the destructive effects of fading as well as improve the spectral efficiency of a communication system. Receive diversity techniques like maximal ratio receive combining have been popular means of introducing multiple antennas into communication systems. Space-time block codes present a way of introducing transmit diversity into the communication system with similar complexity and performance as maximal ratio receive combining. In this thesis we study the performance of space-time block codes in Rayleigh fading channel. In particular, the quasi-static assumption on the fading channel is removed to study how the space-time block coded system behaves in fast fading. In this context, the complexity versus performance trade-off for a space-time block coded receiver is studied. As a means to improve the performance of space-time block coded systems concatenation by convolutional codes is introduced. The improvement in the diversity order by the introduction of convolutional codes into the space-time block coded system is discussed. A general analytic expression for the error performance of a space-time block coded system is derived. This expression is utilized to obtain general expressions for the error performance of convolutionally concatenated space-time block coded systems utilizing both hard and soft decision decoding. Simulation results are presented and are compared with the analytical results. / Master of Science

The demands for greater capacity and lower transmitted power have historically motivated research in spatial diversity systems. Diversity techniques have been implemented in many current systems and have been shown to reduce the transmit power required to maintain acceptable system performance. Traditionally spatial diversity is based on the transmission and reception of a single stream of symbols through independent and spatially separated propagation channels. In more recent developments, space-time coding and array processing techniques use diversity concepts to resolve multiple independent streams of data and increase the potential data-rate. This new space-time research investigates the unprecedented ability to simultaneously transmit separate data streams from many closely-spaced antennas on a common carrier frequency. The effectiveness of these multi-element arrays in communication systems has been found to depend on antenna design and specific characteristics of the propagation channels. This thesis describes an effort to characterize an indoor office environment with respect to these applications. Theoretical analyses have demonstrated a relationship between the theoretical capacity of multi-element array systems with the cross-correlation of spatially separated channels. Historical measurements have also shown that in the presence of Rayleigh fading, antenna spacing may be used to control the level of correlation between propagation channels and maximize the diversity gain, or potential system capacity of a space-time system. Both the design of the antenna arrays and characteristics of the propagation environment influence a system's potential capacity. This thesis describes the construction of a measurement system and the use of this system to evaluate the capacity gains of multi-element arrays in a wireless communication system. The presented system is capable of measuring the channel gains between a number of transmitter and receiver antenna elements and calculating both the cross-correlation between channel gains and the theoretical system capacity. After a discussion of previous research, the measurement system and subsequent measurement results are described. / Master of Science

The experience of time is not fixed by a rigid mathematical measure, instead, it flows at vaying rates. There are certain occasions in which we would like to extend time with all our force, up to the limit of our stretched arms and further. Conversely there are moments which we'd like to last no more that the sparkle of a flash, but as we all have noticed, those are the longest in our life. How does the space that we inhabit influence on our perception of time? May we identify especial elements that contribute in one or other sense to accelerate or slowdown the time? It's said that time and space is an inseparable unity, as two aspects of the same thing. If this is so, then it also must be true that by shaping space in one way or another, we might influence the experience of time through it. Wouldn't it be delightful to believe that we may be magicians of time through manipulation of architecture? / Master of Architecture

In this thesis, we consider the problem of designing space-time block codes that have low maximum-likelihood (ML) decoding complexity. We present a unified framework for determining the worst-case ML decoding complexity of space-time block codes. We use this framework to not only determine the worst-case ML decoding complexity of our own constructions, but also to show that some popular constructions of space-time block codes have lower ML decoding complexity than was previously known. Recognizing the practical importance of the two transmit and two receive antenna system, we propose the asymmetric golden code, which is designed specifically for low ML decoding complexity. The asymmetric golden code has the lowest decoding complexity compared to previous constructions of space-time codes, regardless of whether the channel varies with time. We also propose the embedded orthogonal space-time codes, which is a family of codes for an arbitrary number of antennas, and for any rate up to half the number of antennas. The family of embedded orthogonal space-time codes is the first general framework for the construction of space-time codes with low-complexity decoding, not only for rate one, but for any rate up to half the number of transmit antennas. Simulation results for up to six transmit antennas show that the embedded orthogonal space-time codes are simultaneously lower in complexity and lower in error probability when compared to some of the most important constructions of space-time block codes with the same number of antennas and the same rate larger than one. Having considered the design of space-time block codes with low ML decoding complexity on the transmitter side, we also develop efficient algorithms for ML decoding for the golden code, the asymmetric golden code and the embedded orthogonal space-time block codes on the receiver side. Simulations of the bit-error rate performance and decoding complexity of the asymmetric golden code and embedded orthogonal codes are used to demonstrate their attractive performance-complexity tradeoff.

No description available.

<div>In spatio-temporal data analysis, the problem of non-separable space-time covariance functions is important and hard to deal with. Most of the famous constructions of these covariance functions are fully symmetric, which is inappropriate in many spatiotemporal processes. The Non-Fully Symmetric Space-Time (NFSST) Matern model by Zhang, T. and Zhang, H. (2015) provides a way to construct a non-fully symmetric non-separable space-time correlation function from marginal spatial and temporal Matern correlation functions.</div><div>In this work we use the relationship between the spatial Matern and temporal Cauchy correlation functions and their spectral densities, and provide a modification to their Bochner’s representation by including a space-time interaction term. Thus we can construct a non-fully symmetric space-time Matern-Cauchy model, from any given marginal spatial Matern and marginal temporal Cauchy correlation functions. We are able to perform computation and parameter estimate on this family, using the Taylor expansion of the correlation functions. This model has attractive properties: it has much faster estimation compared with NFSST Matern model when the spatio-temporal data is large; it enables the existence of temporal long-range dependence (LRD), adding substantially to the flexibility of marginal correlation function in the time domain. Several spatio-temporal meteorological data sets are studied using our model, including one case with temporal LRD.</div>

No description available.

Recently, cooperative relay networks have emerged as an attractive communications technique that can generate a new form of spatial diversity which is known as cooperative diversity, that can enhance system reliability without sacrificing the scarce bandwidth resource or consuming more transmit power. To achieve cooperative diversity single-antenna terminals in a wireless relay network typically share their antennas to form a virtual antenna array on the basis of their distributed locations. As such, the same diversity gains as in multi-input multi-output systems can be achieved without requiring multiple-antenna terminals. However, there remain technical challenges to maximize the benefit of cooperative communications, e.g. data rate, asynchronous transmission, interference and outage. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is to exploit cooperative relay networks within two-way transmission schemes. Such schemes have the potential to double the data rate as compared to one-way transmission schemes. Firstly, a new approach to two-way cooperative communications via extended distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (E-DOSTBC) based on phase rotation feedback is proposed with four relay nodes. This scheme can achieve full cooperative diversity and full transmission rate in addition to array gain. Then, distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (DOSTBC) is applied within an asynchronous two-way cooperative wireless relay network using two relay nodes. A parallel interference cancelation (PIC) detection scheme with low structural and computational complexity is applied at the terminal nodes in order to overcome the effect of imperfect synchronization among the cooperative relay nodes. Next, a DOSTBC scheme based on cooperative orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) type transmission is proposed for flat fading channels which can overcome imperfect synchronization in the network. As such, this technique can effectively cope with the effects of fading and timing errors. Moreover, to increase the end-to-end data rate, a closed-loop EDOSTBC approach using through a three-time slot framework is proposed. A full interference cancelation scheme with OFDM and cyclic prefix type transmission is used in a two-hop cooperative four relay network with asynchronism in the both hops to achieve full data rate and completely cancel the timing error. The topic of outage probability analysis in the context of multi-relay selection for one-way cooperative amplify and forward networks is then considered. Local measurements of the instantaneous channel conditions are used to select the best single and best two relays from a number of available relays. Asymptotical conventional polices are provided to select the best single and two relays from a number of available relays. Finally, the outage probability of a two-way amplify and forward relay network with best and Mth relay selection is analyzed. The relay selection is performed either on the basis of a max-min strategy or one based on maximizing exact end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. MATLAB and Maple software based simulations are employed throughout the thesis to support the analytical results and assess the performance of new algorithms and methods.

<p>Penrose's inequality which relates the total mass of a space-time containing a black hole with the area of the event horizon, is a yet unproven condition that is required for the cosmic censorship hypothesis. It is believed that the inequality could be proved by using properties of the Hawking mass. This thesis gives analytical expressions for the Hawking mass in slowly rotating Kerr and Kerr-Newman space-times. It is also shown that the expressions are monotonically increasing, a result that does not contradict Penrose's inequality.</p>

Penrose's inequality which relates the total mass of a space-time containing a black hole with the area of the event horizon, is a yet unproven condition that is required for the cosmic censorship hypothesis. It is believed that the inequality could be proved by using properties of the Hawking mass. This thesis gives analytical expressions for the Hawking mass in slowly rotating Kerr and Kerr-Newman space-times. It is also shown that the expressions are monotonically increasing, a result that does not contradict Penrose's inequality.