Fast Maximum-Likelihood Decoding of the Golden Code

The golden code is a full-rate full-diversity space-time code for two transmit antennas that has a maximal coding gain. Because each codeword conveys four information symbols from an M-ary quadrature-amplitude modulation alphabet, the complexity of an exhaustive search decoder is proportional to M^2. In this paper we present a new fast algorithm for maximum-likelihood decoding of the golden code that has a worst-case complexity of only O(2M^2.5). We also present an efficient implementation of the fast decoder that exhibits a low average complexity. Finally, in contrast to the overlaid Alamouti codes, which lose their fast decodability property on time-varying channels, we show that the golden code is fast decodable on both quasistatic and rapid time-varying channels.