Title:  Theoretical Performance Bounds for the Estimation of Target Parameters in Electromagnetic Induction Data

Committee: 

Dr. Scott, McClellanAdvisor   

Dr. Lanterman, Chair

Dr. Durgin

Abstract:

The objective of this research is to derive and analyze the theoretical performance bounds for the variance of any unbiased estimator (i.e. Cramer-Rao lower bounds) of target parameters given a set of electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements. These parameters include the target's location, tensor amplitudes, as well as the relaxation frequencies and their corresponding amplitudes. The goal is to provide a framework for assessing the performance of current and future EMI systems and to generate a benchmark for current estimation techniques of these parameters. The framework and corresponding analysis will provide a better understanding of the factors that influence these bounds, giving researchers additional insight to develop better EMI systems and estimators.