Asymptotic Properties of Robust Complex Covariance Matrix Estimates
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1 Asymptotic properties of robust complex covariance matrix estimates Mélanie Mahot Student, IEEE, Frédéric Pascal Member, IEEE, Philippe Forster Member, IEEE, Jean-Philippe Ovarlez Member, IEEE Abstract—In many statistical signal processing applications, [11], [12]. M-estimators of the covariance matrix are however the estimation of nuisance parameters and parameters of interest seldom used in the signal processing community. Only a is strongly linked to the resulting performance. Generally, these limited case, the Tyler’s estimator [13] also called the Fixed applications deal with complex data. This paper focuses on covariance matrix estimation problems in non-Gaussian envi- Point Estimator [14] has been widely used as an alternative to ronments and particularly, the M-estimators in the context of the SCM for radar applications. Concerning the M-estimators, elliptical distributions. Firstly, this paper extends to the complex notable exceptions are the recent papers by Ollila [15], [16], case the results of Tyler in [1]. More precisely, the asymptotic [17], [18], [19] who advocates their use in several applications distribution of these estimators as well as the asymptotic distribu- such as array processing. The M-estimators have also been tion of any homogeneous function of degree 0 of the M-estimates are derived. On the other hand, we show the improvement of studied in the case of large datasets, where the dimension of such results on two applications: DOA (directions of arrival) the data is of the same order as the dimension of the sample estimation using the MUSIC (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) [20]. algorithm and adaptive radar detection based on the ANMF One possible reason for this lack of interest is that their sta- (Adaptive Normalized Matched Filter) test. tistical properties are not well-known in the signal processing Index Terms—Covariance matrix estimation, robust estima- community, as opposed to the Wishart distribution of the SCM tion, elliptical distributions, Complex M-estimators. in the Gaussian context. They have been studied by Tyler [21] in the real case. However, in signal processing applications, I. INTRODUCTION data are usually complex and the purpose of this paper is to Many signal processing applications require the knowledge derive the asymptotic distribution of complex M-estimators of the data covariance matrix. The most often used estimator in the framework of elliptically distributed data. This result is is the well-known Sample Covariance Matrix (SCM) which also provided in [15] but without proof. We will also extend is the Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimator for Gaussian to the complex case, a property initially derived by Tyler in data. However, the SCM suffers from major drawbacks. When [1]: we show that in the complex elliptical distributions con- the data turn out to be non-Gaussian, as for instance in text, the asymptotic distribution of any positive homogeneous adaptive radar and sonar processing [2], the performance functional of degree 0 of estimates such as M-estimates and involved by the SCM can be strongly degraded. Indeed, this the SCM, is the same up to a scale factor. This result, useful is the case in impulsive noise contexts and in the presence for applications, extends the one proposed in [15]. Thus, fora of outliers as shown in [3]. To overcome these problems, Gaussian context and for signal processing applications which there has been an intense research activity in robust estimation only need the covariance matrix up to a scale factor, for ex- theory in the statistical community these last decades [4], ample Direction-of-Arrival (DOA) estimation or adaptive radar arXiv:1209.0897v2 [stat.AP] 6 Nov 2012 [5], [6]. Among several solutions, the so-called M-estimators detection, the parameter estimated has the same mean square originally introduced by Huber [7] and investigated in the error when estimated with the SCM or with an M-estimator seminal work of Maronna [8], have imposed themselves as an with a few more data (depending on σ1). Moreover, when the appealing alternative to the classical SCM. They have been context is non-Gaussian or contains outliers, the performance introduced within the framework of elliptical distributions. obtained with M-estimators is scarcely influenced while it is Elliptical distributions, originally introduced by Kelker in [9], unreliable and possibly completely damaged with the SCM as encompass a large number of well-known distributions as for shown for instance in [3]. We illustrate this effect using the instance the Gaussian distribution, or the multivariate Student MUSIC method and the Adaptive Normalized Matched Filter (or t) distribution. They may also be used to model heavy (ANMF) test introduced by Kraut and Scharf [22], [23]. It is tailed distributions by means of the K-distribution, as may be also illustrated by Ollila in [16], for MVDR beamforming. met for instance in adaptive radar with impulsive clutter [10], This paper is organized as follows. Section II introduces the required background and Section III the known properties of M.Mahot is with SONDRA, Supelec, Plateau du Moulon, 3 rue Joliot-Curie, real M-estimators. Then Section IV provides our contribution F-91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France (e-mail: [email protected]) F. Pascal is with SONDRA, Supelec, Plateau du Moulon, 3 rue Joliot-Curie, about the estimators asymptotic distribution. Eventually, in F-91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France (e-mail: [email protected]) Section V, simulations validate the theoretical analysis and P. Forster is with SATIE, ENS Cachan, CNRS, UniverSud, 61, Av. du Pdt Section VI concludes this work. Wilson, F-94230 Cachan, France (e-mail:[email protected]) J.-P. Ovarlez is with ONERA, DEMR/TSI, Chemin de la Hunière, F-91120 Vectors (resp. matrices) are denoted by bold-faced lowercase Palaiseau, (e-mail:[email protected]) letters (resp. uppercase letters). ∗, T and H respectively 2 represent the conjugate, the transpose and the Hermitian C. M-estimators of the scatter matrix d operator. means "distributed as", = stands for "shares the Let (z1, ..., z ) be an N-sample of m-dimensional real ∼ N same distribution as", d denotes convergence in distribution (resp. complex circular) independent vectors with z → i ∼ and denotes the Kronecker product. vec is the operator (0 1, Λ,hz) (resp. z (0 1, Λ,hz)), i = 1, ..., N. ⊗ m, i m, which transforms a matrix m n into a vector of lenth mn, TheE real (resp. complex) M∼-estimator CE of Λ is defined as the concatenating its n columns into× a single column. Moreover, solution of the following equation I 0 m is the m m identity matrix, m,p the m p matrix of N × m × 1 M = u z′ M−1z z z′ . (2) zeros, Jm2 = Jii Jii where Jii is the m m matrix N n n n n ⊗ × n=1 i X with a one inX the position and zeros elsewhere and (i,i) where the symbolc ′ stands for T cin the real case and for H in K is the commutation matrix which transforms vec A into ( ) the complex one. vec(AT ). Eventually, Im(y) represents the imaginary part of M-estimators have first been studied in the real case, defined the complex vector y and Re(y) its real part. as solution of (2) with real samples. Existence and uniqueness of the solution of (2) has been shown in the real case, provided II. BACKGROUND function u satisfies a set of general assumptions stated by A. Elliptical symmetric distribution Maronna in [8]. These conditions have been extended to the complex case by Ollila in [17]. They are recalled here below Let z be a -dimensional real (resp. complex circular) ran- m in the case where µ = 0m,1: dom vector. The vector z has a real (resp. complex) elliptical - u is non-negative, non increasing, and continuous on symmetric distribution if its probability density function (PDF) [0, ). can be written as ∞ - Let ψ(s)= su(s) and K = sups≥0 ψ(s). m<K< , −1 2 −1 ∞ gz(z)= Λ / hz((z µ)T Λ (z µ)), ψ is increasing, and strictly increasing on the interval in the real| | case, − − where ψ<K. −1 H −1 (1) gz(z)= Λ hz((z µ) Λ (z µ)), - Let PN (.) denote the empirical distribution of | | − − in the complex case, (z1, ..., zN ). There exists a > 0 such that for every m hyperplane S, dim(S) m 1, PN (S) 1 K a. where hz : [0, ) [0, ) is any function such that (1) ≤ − ≤ − − ∞ → ∞ This assumption can be strongly relaxed as shown in defines a PDF, µ is the statistical mean and Λ is a scatter [25], [26]. matrix. The scatter matrix Λ reflects the structure of the Let us now consider the following equation, which is roughly covariance matrix of z, i.e. the covariance matrix is equal to speaking the limit of (2) when N tends to infinity: Λ up to a scale factor. This real (resp. complex) elliptically 1 symmetric distribution will be denoted by (µ, Λ,hz) (resp. M = E u(z′M− z) zz′ , (3) E (µ, Λ,hz)). One can notice that the Gaussian distribution isCE a particular case of elliptical distributions. A survey on where z (0m,1, Λ,hz)(resp. (0m,1,Λ,hz)) and where ∼E′ T CE H complex elliptical distributions can be found in [15]. the symbol stands for in the real case and for in the complex one. In this paper, we will assume that µ = 0m,1. Without loss of generality, the scatter matrix will be taken to be equal to Then, under the above conditions, it has been shown for the the covariance matrix when the latter exists. Indeed, when the real case in [26], [8] that: second moment of the distribution is finite, function hz in - Equation (3) (resp.