Acoustic vector-sensor array performance

Classical hydrophones measure pressure only, but acoustic vector-sensors also measure particle velocity. Velocity measurements can increase array gain and resolve ambiguities, but make vector-sensor arrays more difficult to analyze. This thesis derives a new set of useful performance measures for acoustic vector-sensor arrays. It characterizes the vector-sensor array beampattern with and without modeling errors, or “mismatch.” It also develops a hybrid Cramer-Rao bound for direction-of-arrival estimation under mismatch. The results are analyzed, compared to Monte-Carlo simulations, and explored for insight. Thesis Supervisor: Arthur B. Baggeroer Title: Ford Professor of Engineering Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Chair for Ocean Science