Error Analysis of the Optimal Antenna Array Processors

The optimal weights of an antenna array processor, which maximizes the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the absence of errors, are computed using the noise-alone matrix inverse (NAMI) and the steering vector in the look direction or the signal-plus-noise matrix inverse (SPNMI) and the steering vector. In practice the estimated steering vector as well as the estimated optimal weights are corrupted by random errors. This paper has analyzed the effects of these errors on the performance of the NAMI processor and the SPNMI processor by deriving analytic expressions for the output signal power, output noise power, output SNR, and the array gain as a function of the error variance. The treatment is for a general array configuration and no assumption about a particular array geometry is made.