In this paper, we propose the use of bit-interleaved coded modulation in alternate-relaying decode-and-forward cooperative communication systems. At the destination, we exploit the interference signal, which results from the simultaneous transmission of data streams through both direct and one of the relay channels to develop an optimal detector. It is shown that the proposed detector can be im...

In communication systems transmitting data through unknown fading channels, traditional detection techniques are based on channel estimation (e.g., by using pilot signals), and then treating the estimates as perfect in a minimum distance detector. In this thesis, we derive and investigate an optimal detector that does not estimate the channel explicitly but jointly processes the received pilot ...