Triple-branch MRC diversity in Weibull fading channels

In this paper a performance analysis of triple-branch maximal ratio combining (MRC) diversity receivers operating over an arbitrarily correlated Weibull fading environment is presented. For the trivariate Weibull distribution infinite series representations for the joint probability density function (PDF) and the cumulative distribution function (CDF) are derived. Moreover, a novel analytical expression for the joint moment-generating function (MGF) is presented. It is assumed that the arbitrarily correlated variates do not necessarily have identical fading parameters and average powers. These series representations are readily applicable to the performance analysis of a triple-branch MRC receiver. Furthermore, the average bit error probability (ABEP) is then derived and analytically studied. The proposed mathematical analysis is accompanied by various numerical results, with parameters of interest the fading severity, the correlation and the power decay factor.