MMSE extension of V-BLAST based on sorted QR decomposition

In rich-scattering environments layered space-time architectures like the BLAST system may exploit the capacity advantage of multiple antenna systems. In this paper, we present a novel, computationally efficient algorithm for detecting V-BLAST architectures with respect to the MMSE criterion. It utilizes a sorted QR decomposition of the channel matrix and leads to a simple successive detection structure. The new algorithm needs only a fraction of computational effort compared to the standard V-BLAST algorithm and achieves the same error performance.