Locally optimum and rank-based known signal detection in correlated alpha-stable interference

The problem of detecting known signals in the presence of correlated interference with symmetric alpha-stable excitation is considered. An estimation procedure for the signal strength is devised, based on the minimum dispersion criterion, then blind channel identification is performed. Several detection schemes are presented based on locally optimum (LO) and locally optimum rank (LOR) procedures, as well as some more computationally efficient suboptimal tests. The approximate distributions of the corresponding test statistics are derived. Simulation results indicate the levels of significance are maintained and all detectors achieve similar detection rates. The conclusion is drawn that the LOR and the suboptimal tests are able to achieve near locally optimal performance but with a far lighter computational burden.