An efficient implementation of a maximum-likelihood detector for space-time block coded systems

We investigate maximum-likelihood (ML) sequence estimation for space-time block coded systems without assuming channel knowledge. The quadratic form of the ML receiver in this case does not readily lend itself to efficient implementation. However, under quasi-static channel conditions, the likelihood function reduces to a simple form similar to the classical correlation receiver in matrix notation. It also allows the development of a recursive expression that can be easily implemented by a Viterbi-type algorithm with a reasonable complexity. Although the receiver is suboptimum for the nonstatic case, its performance is close to the optimum for a range of signal-to-noise ratios.