ABSTRACT

Pseudonoise sequences (PN sequences), also referred to as pseudorandom sequences, are sequences that are deterministically generated and yet possess some properties that one would expect to find in randomly generated sequences. Applications of PN sequences include signal synchronization, navigation, radar ranging, random number generation, spread-spectrum communications, multipath resolution, cryptography, and signal identification in multiple-access communication systems. The correlation between two sequences {x(t)} and {y(t)} is the complex inner product of the first sequence with a shifted version of the second sequence. The correlation is called (1) an autocorrelation if the two sequences are the same, (2) a cross-correlation if they are distinct, (3) a periodic correlation if the shift is a cyclic shift, (4) an aperiodic correlation if the shift is not cyclic, and (5) a partial-period correlation if the inner product involves only a partial segment of the two sequences. More precise definitions are given subsequently.