Maximum likelihood (ML) method for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation achieves an excellent performance in array signal processing, but the complexity and computational load of searching the multidimensional nonlinear function prevented it from practical application. Based on squirrel search algorithm (SSA), an improved SSA (ISSA) for ML DOA estimation is proposed in this paper, which can reduces the computational complexity. The idea of spatial variation and diffuse inspired by the invasive weed optimization(IWO) algorithm is applied to ISSA. The simulation experiments compared ISSA with SSA, IWO, seeker optimization algorithm(SOA), sine cosine algorithm (SCA), genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution (DE) method for ML DOA estimator show that the proposed algorithm has faster convergence speed, fewer iterations and lower root mean square error(RMSE) under different number of signal sources, different signal to noise ratio(SNR) and different population size. Therefor the proposed algorithm does not only ensure the estimation accuracy, but also greatly reduce the computation complexity of multidimensional nonlinear optimization for the ML method. Finally, the test experiment using Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems(MEMS) vector hydrophone array in Fenhe lake show the engineering practicability of proposed ML DOA estimator with ISSA.The results obtained will be valuable in the application of engineering. INDEX TERMS Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation, maximum likelihood (ML), squirrel search algorithm (SSA), invasive weed optimization (IWO), micro electronic mechanical systems (MEMS) vector hydrophone.

<abstract><p>The atom search optimization (ASO) algorithm has the characteristics of fewer parameters and better performance than the traditional intelligent optimization algorithms, but it is found that ASO may easily fall into local optimum and its accuracy is not higher. Therefore, based on the idea of speed update in particle swarm optimization (PSO), an improved atomic search optimization (IASO) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Compared with traditional ASO, IASO has a faster convergence speed and higher precision for 23 benchmark functions. IASO algorithm has been successfully applied to maximum likelihood (ML) estimator for the direction of arrival (DOA), under the conditions of the different number of signal sources, different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and different population size, the simulation results show that ML estimator with IASO algorithum has faster convergence speed, fewer iterations and lower root mean square error (RMSE) than ML estimator with ASO, sine cosine algorithm (SCA), genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Therefore, the proposed algorithm holds great potential for not only guaranteeing the estimation accuracy but also greatly reducing the computational complexity of multidimensional nonlinear optimization of ML estimator.</p></abstract>