Polarization-Invariant Wideband Direction Finding

Electromagnetic (EM) signal source direction finding (DF) or direction of arrival (DOA) estimation is a classical problem that exists in a wide range of applications. Wideband signals are becoming more prevalent nowadays. Therefore the need for wideband DOA estimation is becoming more urgent. Furthermore, in practical field scenarios, polarization effects can introduce errors in the receive process in systems designed under the single polarization assumption. In this program we propose an innovative solution to implement high-resolution electromagnetic (EM) source location estimation that are both scalable in bandwidth and capable of accurate estimation regardless of the source polarization. BENEFIT: The developed techniques will contribute to improving the situation awareness and targeting capabilities of airborne platforms on EM emission sources. Therefore all three services of the DoD may find applications of this new technology. In addition, other government and commercial applications are abundant, such as the government search and rescue agencies, the emergency 911 cellular service providers, and the commercial WiFi and WiMax services.