Internal noise in the SNR optimization of receiving arrays

The problem of obtaining the maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a receiving array is considered. The formulation includes noise due to internal as well as external sources. The concept of a mean spatial noise temperature is introduced for the purpose of defining the normalized SNR of an array as a useful criterion for evaluating its performance with respect to signal and noise. The theory is applied to a specific array and a discussion of the results is presented.