In signal processing, a matched filter (originally known as a North filter) is obtained by correlating a known signal, or template, with an unknown signal to detect the presence of the template in the unknown signal. This is equivalent to convolving the unknown signal with a conjugated time-reversed version of the template. The matched filter is the optimal linear filter for maximizing the signal to noise ratio (SNR) in the presence of additive stochastic noise. Matched filters are commonly used in radar, in which a known signal is sent out, and the reflected signal is examined for common elements of the out-going signal. Pulse compression is an example of matched filtering. Two-dimensional matched filters are commonly used in image processing, e.g., to improve SNR for X-ray pictures.
Read more about Matched Filter: Derivation of The Matched Filter, Alternative Derivation of The Matched Filter, Frequency-domain Interpretation, Example of Matched Filter in Radar and Sonar, Example of Matched Filter in Digital Communications
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—Joyce Carol Oates (b. 1938)