Uniqueness and linear independence of steering vectors in array space

The study of array processing often involves the manipulation of steering vectors defined in array space. The question of uniqueness and linear independence of steering vectors often arises in the analysis of array processing algorithms and in their formulation. The paper examines the effect of array geometry on the mapping between directions in three-dimensional space and steering vectors in array space. Conditions on array geometry for uniqueness and linear independence of steering vectors are established for linear, planar, and general arrays.