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MIMO Capacity in 2-D and 3-D Isotropic Environments

Published

Author(s)

Ryan J. Pirkl, Catherine A. Remley

Abstract

We analyze the distribution of MIMO channel capacity for different antennas in 2-D and 3-D statistically isotropic environments. These represent possible test environments that may be generated by multi-probe anechoic and reverberation chambers, respectively. We observe that the two environments yield comparable capacity distributions provided that 1) the 2-D statistically isotropic environment's capacity data is taken at many different antenna orientations, and 2) the radiation elements have a low directivity. When these conditions are met, we find that the relative error between the 2-D statistically isotropic environment's orientation-combined capacity distribution and the 3-D statistically isotropic environment's capacity distribution is typically less than 10% for signal-to-noise ratio's greater than 5 dB.
Citation
International Journal of Antennas and Propagation

Keywords

MIMO channel capacity, multi-probe anechoic chamber, over-the-air testing, reverberation chamber, statistically isotropic environment

Citation

Pirkl, R. and Remley, C. (2013), MIMO Capacity in 2-D and 3-D Isotropic Environments, International Journal of Antennas and Propagation, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=910357 (Accessed October 13, 2025)

Issues

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Created May 21, 2013, Updated January 27, 2020
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