Threshold region performance of multi-carrier maximum likelihood direction of arrival estimator
This paper addresses performance characterization of a direction of arrival (DoA) estimator in the low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) region. The case of a sensor array simultaneously collecting signals emitted at multiple carrier frequencies by a single source is considered. A maximum likelihood (ML) approach is used as a reference method for DoA estimation and its accuracy is characterized in terms of mean square error (MSE). It is well known that, for SNR values included in the so-called threshold region, the DoA estimation accuracy decreases rapidly, due to the presence of outliers.