Generalized energy detector for weak random signals via vibrational resonance

Highlights: • Vibrational resonance phenomenon is observed in generalized energy detectors for detecting weak random signals. • Dead-zone-limiter detector exhibits a higher asymptotic efficacy with vibrational interferences than without interferences. • Asymptotic efficacy of the dead-zone-limiter detector via vibrational resonance approaches that of locally optimum one. - Abstract: In this paper, the generalized energy (GE) detector is investigated for detecting weak random signals via vibrational resonance (VR). By artificially injecting the high-frequency sinusoidal interferences into an array of GE statistics formed for the detector, we show that the normalized asymptotic efficacy can be maximized when the interference intensity takes an appropriate non-zero value. It is demonstrated that the normalized asymptotic efficacy of the dead-zone-limiter detector, aided by the VR mechanism, outperforms that of the GE detector without the help of high-frequency interferences. Moreover, the maximum normalized asymptotic efficacy of dead-zone-limiter detectors can approach a quarter of the second-order Fisher information for a wide range of non-Gaussian noise types.