| The measurement of the Scattering function of time-variant fading channels is of strong interest in the field of underwater acoustic communications, as it indicates the limitations of the channel capacity. It also helps reducing the development time of acoustic communication systems and the need for on-site tests using so-called "fading simulators". The Scattering function is interpreted as the expected power received at a given time-delay and frequency shift for a given signal transmitted through the acoustic channel. It has been estimated using a fourth-moment method developed by Kailath from 18 to 30 kHz, 8-ms broad-band chirps and 20--28 kHz, 28-ms pseudo noise sequences. These signals were transmitted periodically in the shallow coastal waters of South Florida from a static source, and recorded from a 64-channel receiver array located at a distance of 1000 meters. Spatial beamforming has been applied to study the spatial sensitivity of the scattering function. |
