Low-complexity estimators for distributed sources

In antenna array applications, the propagation environment is often more complicated than the ordinarily assumed model of plane wavefronts. Here, a low-complexity algorithm is suggested for estimating both the DOA and the spread angle of a source subject to local scattering, using a uniform linear array. The parameters are calculated from the estimates obtained using a standard algorithm such as root-MUSIC to fit a two-ray model to the data. The algorithm is shown to give consistent estimates, and the statistical performance is studied analytically and through simulations.