Parametric modeling and estimation of the spatial characteristics of a source with local scattering

The recent surge in the application of antenna arrays for wireless cellular systems has opened up new problems in the area of array signal processing. One key issue is multipath propagation and local scattering, which requires the modification of the conventional point source model and the associated estimation techniques. In this paper we propose a parametric physical/statistical model for the distribution of angles of arrival of waves, originating from a far-field source through a scattering medium that is local to the source. Based on this model, we derive a compact and mathematically-tractable spatio-temporal cross-correlation function for the signal received by an antenna array. In the sequel we propose a simple yet asymptotically efficient technique for the estimation of the parameters of the spatially distributed source using an array of antennas. The computational complexity of the proposed method is much less than the other asymptotically efficient counterparts. Monte Carlo simulation results are presented to verify the theoretical predictions.