Maximal Ratio Combining Performance Analysis in Spatially Correlated Rayleigh Fading Channels

New Results for the performance analysis of maximal ratio combining (MRC) using BPSK and M-PSK modulation in spatially correlated Rayleigh fading channels are presented in terms of antenna array configuration and parameters of scatterer distributions. Revised closed-form expressions for probabilities of bit error and symbol error of BPSK and M-PSK modulations respectively are given with MRC which allow for non-distinct eigenvalues (or closely spaced eigenvalues) from the correlation matrix at the receiver. The results of performance analysis assuming different receiver configurations and scattering scenarios give valuable insights into the performance of MRC in realistic Rayleigh fading scenarios for isotropic and non-isotropic scatterer distributions