Polarization quaternion DOA estimation based on vector MISC array

This paper examines the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation for polarized signals impinging on a sparse vector sensor array which is based on the maximum interelement spacing constraint (MISC). The vector array effectively utilizes the polarization domain information of incident signals, and the quaternion model is adopted for signals polarization characteristic maintenance and computational burden reduction. The features of MISC arrays are crucial to the mutual coupling effects reduction and higher degrees of freedom (DOFs). The quaternion data model based on vector MISC arrays is established, which extends the scalar MISC array into the vector MISC array. Based on the model, a quaternion multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm based on vector MISC arrays is proposed for DOA estimation. The algorithm combines the advantages of the quaternion model and the vector MISC array to enhance the DOA estimation performance. Analytical simulations are performed to certify the capability of the algorithm.