On the Bit Error Probability of Optimal Multiuser Detectors in Cooperative Cellular Networks

In this paper, we present new theoretical analysis on the uncoded bit error probability (BEP) of optimal multiuser detectors in cooperative cellular networks. We consider the uplink of a cooperative network where an arbitrary number of receivers jointly detect the signals transmitted from multiple transmitters. For such a network, we derive accurate upper and lower bounds on the BEP with independent Rayleigh fading and arbitrary path loss. We observe that our lower bound accurately approximates the BEP at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), whereas the upper bound is accurate at high SNRs. We further evaluate our bounds asymptotically to explicitly characterize the cooperative diversity order and array gains in the high-SNR regime.