An improved square-root algorithm for BLAST

In this letter, an improved square-root algorithm for Bell Labs Layered Space-Time (BLAST) system is proposed. It speeds up the original square-root algorithm by 36% in terms of the number of multiplications and additions. Compared with the recursive algorithm, it requires only a 13.6% higher number of multiplications and a 38.9% higher number of additions. Since it uses unitary transformations to avoid the computation of any matrix inversion or "squaring" operation, it maintains the advantages of the square-root based algorithms that are numerically stable, robust, and hardware friendly.