A simulation study of antenna selection for compact MIMO arrays

We consider a compact multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system where antenna elements are placed linearly and side by side in a limited size array. Inevitably, both mutual coupling and spatial correlation effects have a strong presence in such system. We then investigate the performance of both hard and soft antenna selection in such conditions using Monte Carlo simulations. Our results indicate that soft selection could always achieve superior performance as compared to the hard selection even given the presence of mutual coupling. Our results will further conclude on the applicability range of antenna selection schemes.