An array extension method in a noisy environment was proposed to improve angular resolution and array gain. The proposed method combines the FOC (fourth-order cumulants) technique with the ETAM (extended towed array measurements) method to extend array aperture and suppress Gaussian noise. First, successive measurements of a virtual uniform linear array were constructed by applying fourth-order cumulants to measurements of uniform linear array; Gaussian noise in these measurements was also eliminated. Then, the array was extended by compensating phase differences using the ETAM method. Finally, the synthetic aperture was extended further by the fourth-order cumulants technique. The proposed FOC-ETAM-FOC method not only improves angular resolution and array gain, but also effectively suppresses Gaussian noise. Furthermore, it inherits the advantages of the ETAM method. Simulation results showed that the FOC-ETAM-FOC method achieved better angular resolution and array gain than the ETAM method. Furthermore this method outperforms the ETAM method in Gaussian noise environment.
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