Optimal linear-quadratic systems for detection and estimation

The problem of linear-quadratic systems for detection has long been solved by assuming the deflection criterion and Gaussian noise. It is shown here that the Gaussian assumption can be removed, and a complete solution is presented for an arbitrary probability distribution with finite fourth-order moments. The optimal solution can always be obtained by solving a linear system of equations. Some properties of the optimal systems are developed for particular examples of nonGaussian noise. It is shown that there is a strong relationship between linear-quadratic optimal detection and optimal estimation, which extends results known for the purely linear case.<
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