Steiner-Based Space Modulation Techniques: ABER Performance Under Spatial Correlation

This research presents innovative techniques for massive MIMO (mMIMO) systems, called Steiner SMTs, which include Steiner SSK (S-SSK), Steiner QSSK (S-QSSK), and Steiner SM (S-SM). The core idea involves integrating the Steiner Triple System (STS) algorithm with conventional SSK, QSSK, and SM techniques. This integration activates three antennas from the available set, using their indices as additional bits for data transmission. A mathematical expression for the pairwise error probability (PEP) is derived, accounting for spatial correlation, and used to determine the upper bound of the average bit error rate (ABER). Extensive Monte Carlo simulations validate the accuracy of the derived PEP and compare the proposed techniques with generalized space shift keying (GSSK), quadrature space shift keying (GQSSK), and spatial modulation (GSM). Results show strong agreement between analytical and simulation outcomes across a wide SNR range, consistently demonstrating superior error performance compared to generalized SMTs.