Interferometric Ambiguity Resolution

A method for resolving interferometric ambiguities for an interferometer system with antenna elements employs multiple interferometric elements within the baseline. The overall accuracy of the interferometer system results from the interferometric elements with the longest baseline dimension; the remaining interferometric elements provide a means to correctly resolve ambiguities. According to the method, the baseline locations of additional elements are determined by using an integer fractional location. By so doing, the ambiguities of the overall baseline correspond to a limited number of ambiguities of the fractional baseline so that many of the ambiguities of the overall baseline can be eliminated. According to a preferred method, baseline values are selected to obtain a high probability of correct ambiguity resolution with a minimum number of additional interferometric elements. In this way, the design complexity is reduced. This alignment also provides an ambiguity resolution method that is independent of frequency. According to a preferred method, synthetic baselines are created by electronically combining interferometric elements to produce baseline values that are smaller than those limited by the physical separation between interferometric elements. These synthetic baselines provide additional means to resolve interferometric ambiguities.