Efficient space-time block codes derived from quasi-orthogonal structures

We propose a new class of block codes that outperforms known space-time block codes at low rates. The new codes are designed by using appropriate rotations and set partitioning on two quasi-orthogonal codes, and combining subsets of their codewords. Using these techniques we are able to obtain higher coding gain at a given rate and improve performance. Simulations confirm the advantages of this code compared to other codes operating at the same rate and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We also provide an efficient maximum likelihood (ML) decoding algorithm for the new code.