Field-Theoretical Investigations of the Influence of Mutual Coupling Effects on the Capacity of MIMO Wireless Links

Abstract

We present a MIMO channel model which takes into account mutual coupling effects at the receiver and transmitter array in order to assess the influence of mutual coupling effects on the capacity of MIMO channels. We evaluate the mutual impedances using a general approach based on the electric field integral equation (EFIE) and its implementation by the method of moments (MOM). We compute the capacity of a 2x2-MIMO system in a one path scenario for square half wavelength patch antenna elements and half wavelength dipole antenna elements. The capacity of the MIMO system with and without coupling increases compared to the single antenna transmission for the patch antenna elements. On the contrary for half wavelength dipole antenna elements we have found that the MIMO system degenerates to a one-transmitting, one-receiving antenna system due to mutual coupling.