Multi Snapshot Sparse Bayesian Learning for DOA Estimation

The directions of arrival (DOA) of plane waves are estimated from multi-snapshot sensor array data using Sparse Bayesian Learning (SBL). The prior source amplitudes is assumed independent zero-mean complex Gaussian distributed with hyperparameters the unknown variances (i.e. the source powers). For a complex Gaussian likelihood with hyperparameter the unknown noise variance, the corresponding Gaussian posterior distribution is derived. For a given number of DOAs, the hyperparameters are automatically selected by maximizing the evidence and promote sparse DOA estimates. The SBL scheme for DOA estimation is discussed and evaluated competitively against LASSO ($\ell_1$-regularization), conventional beamforming, and MUSIC