An accurate performance analysis on the MDL criterion for source enumeration in array processing is presented in this paper. The enumeration results of MDL can be predicted precisely by the proposed procedure via the statistical analysis of the sample eigenvalues, whose distributive properties are investigated with the consideration of their interactions. A novel approach is also developed for the performance evaluation when the source number is underestimated by a number greater than one, which is denoted as "multiple-missed detection", and the probability of a specific underestimated source number can be estimated by ratio distribution analysis. Simulation results are included to demonstrate the superiority of the presented method over available results and confirm the ability of the proposed approach to perform multiple-missed detection analysis.
Keywords: array processing; minimum description length (MDL); multiple-missed detection; performance analysis; source enumeration.