Non-Coherent Index Modulation in Rayleigh Fading Channels

We consider a non-coherent index-modulation system, where the information is transmitted only through index selection. We first obtain a decision metric for the optimal maximum-likelihood demodulation in the Rayleigh fading channels and then analyze the system performance in terms of pair-wise error probabilities. This analysis leads to a simple quantity that can be used as both performance metric and design criterion for the system. We also derive the approximations for the error probabilities at high signal-to-noise ratio and show that the diversity order of the considered system is one. Finally, we present the simulation results to corroborate our analytical findings.