Applications of the Wigner Distribution Function in Signal Processing

We present a review of the applications of the Wigner distribution function in various areas of signal processing: amplitude and phase retrieval, signal recognition, characterization of arbitrary signals, optical systems and devices, and coupling coefficient estimation in phase space. Although reference is made to specific signals and systems, the mathematical formulation is general and can be applied to either spatial, temporal, or spatio-temporal phase spaces, to coherent, partially coherent, or discrete signals. The universal and intuitive character of the Wigner distribution approach to signal characterization and processing and its simplicity in solving many issues are evidenced throughout the paper.