Design of ultraspherical window functions with prescribed spectral characteristics

A method for the design of ultraspherical window functions that achieves prescribed spectral characteristics is proposed. The method comprises a collection of techniques that can be used to determine the three independent parameters of the ultraspherical window such that a specified ripple ratio and main-lobe width or null-to-null width along with a user-defined side-lobe pattern can be achieved. Other known two-parameter windows can achieve a specified ripple ratio and main-lobe width; however, their side-lobe pattern cannot be controlled as in the proposed method. A comparison with other windows has shown that a difference in performance exists between the ultraspherical and Kaiser windows, which depends critically on the required specifications. The paper also highlights some applications of the proposed method in the areas of digital beamforming and image processing.