Direction of Arrival Estimation Using a Single-Beam Leaky-Wave Antenna Based on MUSIC Algorithm

This paper proposes a direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation method based on a single-beam periodic leaky-wave antenna (LWA) combined with the MUSIC algorithm. Unlike traditional multi-channel antenna array methods, the proposed approach utilizes the frequency scanning characteristic of a single periodic LWA to estimate the DoA by simply adjusting the operating frequency. This eliminates the need for precise control of array elements and significantly simplifies the system design. Specifically, the proposed work combines an LWA operating at the $-1^{\text {st }}$ space-harmonic with the MUSIC algorithm to construct the autocorrelation matrix of the received signal. The MATLAB-based simulation results demonstrate that the single-beam periodic LWA can accurately estimate the DoA of single and multiple signal sources under high signal-to-noise ratios and low snapshot conditions. Meanwhile, as the number of snapshots increases, the estimation accuracy improves. Compared to traditional methods, the proposed approach offers significant advantages in reducing hardware and computational complexity.