The diversity-multiplexing-delay tradeoff in MIMO ARQ channels

In this paper, we explore the fundamental performance tradeoff of the delay-limited Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) Automatic Retransmission reQuest (ARQ) channel. In particular, we extend the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff investigated by Zheng and Tse in standard delay-limited MIMO channels with coherent detection to the ARQ scenario. We establish the three-dimensional tradeoff between reliability (i.e. diversity), throughput (i.e., multiplexing gain), and delay (i.e., maximum number of retransmissions). This tradeoff quantifies the ARQ diversity gain obtained by leveraging the retransmission delay to enhance the reliability for a given multiplexing gain. Interestingly, ARQ diversity appears even in long-term static channels where all the retransmissions take place in the same channel state. Furthermore, by relaxing the input power constraint allowing variable power levels in different retransmissions, we show that power control can be used to dramatically increase the diversity advantage. Our analysis reveals some important insights on the benefits of ARQ in slow fading MIMO channels. In particular, we show that: 1) allowing for a sufficiently large retransmission delay results in an almost flat diversity-multiplexing tradeoff, and hence, renders operating at high multiplexing gain more advantageous; 2) MIMO ARQ channels quickly approach the ergodic limit when power control is employed.