CLT for eigen-inference methods in cognitive radios

This article provides a central limit theorem for a consistent estimator of the population eigenvalues of a class of sample covariance matrices. An exact expression as well as an empirical and asymptotically accurate approximation of the limiting variance is also derived. These results are applied in a cognitive radio context featuring an orthogonal-CDMA primary network and a secondary network whose objective is to maximise the coverage of secondary transmissions under low probability of interference with primary users.