False alarms due to radio-frequency interference (RFI), such as manmade communication signals, are a very real contributor to a reduction in the system performance of the multichannel spectrum analyzer for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI-MSCA). RFI may even mimic the true signals of interest. The use of novel cyclostationary ambiguity transform (AT) processing will provide a practical processing technique to identify and characterize RFI present in the observation bandwidth. Moreover, this prescreening process will provide the key RFI parameters even if the RFI is far below the ambient noise. The RFI parameters will then be used by the MCSA to significantly reduce associated false alarms. Phase I will identify potential RFI, quantify the theoretical AT performance against RFI, and develop a preliminary design of the AT processor itself. Phase II will finalize the preliminary design and build a prototype for test and for evaluation in the SETI-MCSA system.Applications are possible in NASA communications systems in which symbol synchronization and/or RFI identification and characterization are important, e.g., deep space communications.interference, cyclostationary process, ambiguity transform, signal processingSTATUS: Phase I Only
