PRI analysis from sparse data via a modified Euclidean algorithm

Analysis of periodic pulse trains based on time of arrival is considered, with perhaps very many missing observations and contaminated data. A period estimator is developed based on a modified Euclidean algorithm. This algorithm is a computationally simple, robust method for estimating the greatest common divisor of a noisy contaminated data set. The resulting estimate, while not maximum likelihood, is used as initialisation in a three-step algorithm that achieves the Cramer-Rao bound for moderate noise levels, as shown by comparing Monte Carlo results with the Cramer-Rao bounds.