In this paper, we consider a multiple-input-multiple-output optical wireless communication (MIMO-OWC) system in the presence of log-normal fading. In this scenario, a general criterion for the design of full-diversity space code (FDSC) with the maximum likelihood (ML) detector is developed. This criterion reveals that in a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, MIMO-OWC offers both large-scale diversity gain, governing the exponential decaying of the error curve, and small-scale diversity gain, producing traditional power-law decaying. Particularly for a two by two MIMO-OWC system with unipolar pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), a closed-form solution to the design problem of a linear is the optimal linear FDSC optimizing both the diversity gains, but also uncovers a significant difference between MIMO radio frequency (RF) communications and MIMO-OWC that space dimension alone is sufficient for a full large-scale diversity achievement. Computer simulations demonstrate that FDSC substantially outperforms uncoded spatial multiplexing with the same total optical power and spectral efficiency, and the latter provides only the small-scale diversity gain.
Index TermsMultiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), optical wireless communications (OWC), log-normal fading channels, linear space code, full diversity, repetition coding and maximum likelihood detector.