Dynamic Programming based Time-Delay Estimation (TDE) Technique for Analysis of Time-varying Time-delay

A new time-delay estimation (TDE) technique based on dynamic programming is developed, to measures the time-varying time-delay between two signals. Dynamic programming based TDE technique provides a frequency response 5 to 10 times higher than previously known TDE techniques, namely those based on time-lag cross-correlation or wavelet analysis. Effects of frequency spectrum, signal-to-noise ratio and amplitude of time-delay on response (represented as transfer function) of TDE technique is studied using simulated data signals. Transfer function for the technique decreases with increase in noise in signal; however it is independent of signal spectrum shape. Dynamic programming based TDE technique is applied to the Beam-Emission-Spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic data to measure poloidal velocity fluctuations, which led to the observation of theoretically predicted zonal flows in high-temperature tokamak plasmas.