Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) millimeter wave (mmWave) systems are vulnerable to hardware impairments due to operating at high frequencies and employing a large number of radiofrequency (RF) hardware components. In particular, nonlinear power amplifiers (PAs) employed at the transmitter distort the signal when operated close to saturation due to energy efficiency considerations. In this paper, we study the performance of a MIMO mmWave hybrid beamforming scheme in the presence of nonlinear PAs. First, we develop a statistical model for the transmitted signal in such systems and show that the spatial direction of the inband distortion is shaped by the beamforming filter. This suggests that even in the large antenna regime, where narrow beams can be steered toward the receiver, the impact of nonlinear PAs should not be ignored. | On the energy efficiency of MIMO hybrid beamforming for millimeter wave systems with nonlinear power amplifiers
