ASA 124th Meeting New Orleans 1992 October

1pEA15. An algorithm for synthesis of low-peak-factor periodic functions.

Logan E. Hargrove

Phys. Div., Code 1112, Office of Naval Res., Arlington, VA 22217-5000

Dept. of Mater. Sci. and Eng., Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD 21218

Peak factor (PF) is the ratio of the range to the rms value of a periodic function. A low PF is desirable in applications such as radar, sonar, communications techniques, and the design of test signals. The PF of a frequency-modulated (fm) periodic function is low because the peak-to-peak amplitude remains fixed and the rms value changes very little for all values of the modulation index. But in some applications an ``fm-like'' function is undesirable, and for many applications a low PF periodic function consisting of a specified number of equal-amplitude and harmonically related frequency components is sought. Here, results from an algorithm that uses phases of some spectral components of a frequency-modulated sinusoid to construct low PF functions with M harmonically related and equal-amplitude components are presented for the range 1(less than or equal to)M(less than or equal to)101. These functions are less fm-like than frequency-truncated fm functions. [Work performed in the ONR Scientific Officer Research Program.]