Performance Analysis of Uniform Circular Array for Azimuth Angle Estimation

We conducted a comprehensive performance analysis of azimuth angle estimation using uniform circular arrays under different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. The implementation employed a spectral peak search algorithm that scans the spatial spectrum to identify coordinates corresponding to maximum power values - this typically involves computing the MUSIC spectrum or beamforming output across all possible azimuth angles. For statistical reliability, we performed 100 Monte Carlo trials where each trial involved generating synthetic array signals with random noise components, followed by angle estimation using the peak detection method. The root mean square error (RMSE) was calculated by comparing estimated angles against ground truth values, providing quantitative performance metrics. The experimental framework utilized MATLAB's phased array toolbox for signal generation and processing, with custom functions for peak search implementation using interpolation techniques for enhanced angular resolution. Through these systematic experiments, we obtained detailed data and results characterizing the azimuth estimation performance of uniform circular arrays across various operational conditions.