Sensitive detection of narrowband pulses.
Highly  monochromatic signals, such as TV carriers, can be detected sensitively by using a narrow filter (b < or = 1 Hz) and performing power accumulation on its output.  If instead a low-duty-cycle pulsed signal of  the same total energy is present, the sensitivity of a square law device, followed by a thresholding operation (to eliminate most samples containing only noise), followed by the algorithm to be described, is greater by about 7 dB in typical cases.  This is particularly interesting to SETI because such a pulsed signal is exactly what is sent by a rotating beacon with a directional antenna.  Such a pulsed signal is, therefore, a good candidate for an extraterrestrial beacon.  Software for detecting this signal type is now ready for field testing  with the NASA Multichannel Spectrum Analyzer (MCSA).
Cullers
D K
DK
SETI Institute, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
D003142:Communication; D003199:Computer Systems / Q000639:trends; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D018559:Exobiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011846:Radio Waves; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012984:Software; D013057:Spectrum Analysis