Synchronization issues in ocean telemetry

The synchronization problem over fading dispersive channels is discussed. Although stated in general terms, the results are equally applicable to sonar and undersea problems in which the propagation medium has significant multipath spread and fluctuation rate. Optimum detection over such channels requires a perfect knowledge of the channels' scattering functions, which completely characterize the behavior of fading dispersive channels. Lack of such knowledge may result in performance degradation. A closed-form expression for the probability of false alarm and probability of detection is given, and a set of curves is provided to demonstrate the amount of degradation due to mismatch conditions. A parallel structure to achieve acquisition is suggested, and its performance is investigated. A performance measure for the synchronizer in this mode is defined. Upper and lower bounds on the performance measure are derived. The effect of various parameters, such as the signal-to-noise ratio, pulse width and modulation, number of pulses, spread of the channel, and the size of the resolution cell on the performance of the synchronizer is investigated. After achieving acquisition, the system needs to switch to the tracking mode. An optimum closed-loop symbol synchronizer is developed.<>