Optimal design for energy-efficient per-subcarrier antenna selection MIMO–OFDM wireless systems

In this paper, we consider a novel optimal design for per-subcarrier antenna selection multi-input multi-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems from an energy-efficiency perspective. The optimal number of antennas, i.e., the number of radio frequency chains, that needs to be built-in on a transmitter to achieve the maximum energy-efficiency is determined. Specifically, an optimization problem for maximizing the average energy-efficiency with respect to the number of antennas is formulated. To solve this optimization problem, we first derive a closed-form formula expressing the cost function (i.e., the average energy-efficiency) as a function of the number of antennas. Search algorithms are then designed to obtain the optimal number of antennas. It is shown that the optimal number of equipped antennas depends on particular values of the circuit power consumption, the actual transmitted power, and the channel characteristics. Simulation results are provided to validate the analysis.