Statistical properties of amplify and forward relay fading channels

Cooperation diversity schemes have been proposed for cellular networks that permit mobile stations to relay signals to a final destination, thereby increasing the network capacity and coverage. The mobile relays either decode and retransmit the received signal or simply amplify and forward (A & F) the signal. The overall channel from the source to the destination via the relay in A & F systems is "double" Gaussian with properties quite different from a typical cellular channel. Since very little is known about A & F relay fading channels, this paper considers their statistical properties such as the envelope probability density function, autocorrelation, level crossing rate, and system performance characteristics like frequency of outages and average outage durations. We briefly discuss the simulation of these channels and verify our analysis by simulations.