Optimal detection theory applied to monopulse antennas

Estimation of the direction of arrival of a signal source by means of a monopulse antenna is one of the oldest and most widely used high resolution techniques. Although the statistical performance of this estimation technique has been extensively investigated, it has never been analyzed from the viewpoint of a two-sensor system. This deficiency is responsible for the form of the common solution (detector/estimator) which restricts the accessible performance. Applying the optimal detection theory to this problem, when a Raleigh-type signal source is present, shows that changing the detector is necessary to optimize the overall performance. The analytical performance of the new solution has been established , thus complementing the existing characterization of the common solution.