Performance evaluation of DF-based cooperative DCSK for next-generation wireless networks

Differential chaos shift keying (DCSK) is a non-coherent modulation technique that has attracted attention for communication over fading channels. This paper investigates the performance of a cooperative DCSK system employing decode-and-forward (DF) relaying over Rayleigh and Nakagami-m fading environments. Analytical expressions are developed for outage probability and average-capacity evaluation, while the bit error performance is examined through an analytical treatment supported by Monte Carlo simulation. The analysis shows that the Nakagami-m fading parameter has a clear impact on system performance, where less severe fading leads to improved reliability. The results also indicate that the relay-destination link plays an important role in the cooperative gain achieved by the considered system. The contribution of the paper is presented within the scope of the adopted two-user DF cooperative DCSK model and the corresponding analytical assumptions. Therefore, the reported findings should be interpreted as an analytical and numerical characterization of the studied framework under the specified channel conditions.