Some Comparisons of Cram Er-rao Bounds for Vector Sensors and Scalar Sensor Arrays for Array Processing 1

The eeect from polarization of emitted wave fronts on the parameter estimation accuracy for an array composed only of sensors sensitive to just one polarization direction has not been addressed in the literature this far. Antennas with such characteristics are, e.g., dipole (or scalar) antennas. A vector sensor, on the other hand, is a sensor whose output data consists of, for the electromagnetic case, the complete electric and magnetic elds at the sensor. This paper examines some of the eeects on the Cram er-Rao Bound for the elevation and/or azimuth angles to a single source emitting a polarized (electromagnetic) waveform. Since only one vector sensor is needed for estimation of both azimuth and elevation, it would be of interest to compare the lower parameter estimation error bound resulting from the vector sensor data model to the \ordinary" one, i.e. the data model used for scalar arrays. Such comparisons, both analytically and numerically, are herein made for an acoustic data model, as well as for an electromagnetic measurement model, for some simple scenarios and array conngurations.