1,026 research outputs found
Dispersive Fourier Transformation for Versatile Microwave Photonics Applications
Abstract: Dispersive Fourier transformation (DFT) maps the broadband spectrum of an ultrashort optical pulse into a time stretched waveform with its intensity profile mirroring the spectrum using chromatic dispersion. Owing to its capability of continuous pulse-by-pulse spectroscopic measurement and manipulation, DFT has become an emerging technique for ultrafast signal generation and processing, and high-throughput real-time measurements, where the speed of traditional optical instruments falls short. In this paper, the principle and implementation methods of DFT are first introduced and the recent development in employing DFT technique for widespread microwave photonics applications are presented, with emphasis on real-time spectroscopy, microwave arbitrary waveform generation, and microwave spectrum sensing. Finally, possible future research directions for DFT-based microwave photonics techniques are discussed as well
Harnessing optical micro-combs for microwave photonics
In the past decade, optical frequency combs generated by high-Q
micro-resonators, or micro-combs, which feature compact device footprints, high
energy efficiency, and high-repetition-rates in broad optical bandwidths, have
led to a revolution in a wide range of fields including metrology, mode-locked
lasers, telecommunications, RF photonics, spectroscopy, sensing, and quantum
optics. Among these, an application that has attracted great interest is the
use of micro-combs for RF photonics, where they offer enhanced functionalities
as well as reduced size and power consumption over other approaches. This
article reviews the recent advances in this emerging field. We provide an
overview of the main achievements that have been obtained to date, and
highlight the strong potential of micro-combs for RF photonics applications. We
also discuss some of the open challenges and limitations that need to be met
for practical applications.Comment: 32 Pages, 13 Figures, 172 Reference
Optical frequency comb technology for ultra-broadband radio-frequency photonics
The outstanding phase-noise performance of optical frequency combs has led to
a revolution in optical synthesis and metrology, covering a myriad of
applications, from molecular spectroscopy to laser ranging and optical
communications. However, the ideal characteristics of an optical frequency comb
are application dependent. In this review, the different techniques for the
generation and processing of high-repetition-rate (>10 GHz) optical frequency
combs with technologies compatible with optical communication equipment are
covered. Particular emphasis is put on the benefits and prospects of this
technology in the general field of radio-frequency photonics, including
applications in high-performance microwave photonic filtering, ultra-broadband
coherent communications, and radio-frequency arbitrary waveform generation.Comment: to appear in Laser and Photonics Review
Ultrafast electrooptic dual-comb interferometry
The femtosecond laser frequency comb has enabled the 21st century revolution
in optical synthesis and metrology. A particularly compelling technique that
relies on the broadband coherence of two laser frequency combs is dual-comb
interferometry. This method is rapidly advancing the field of optical
spectroscopy and empowering new applications, from nonlinear microscopy to
laser ranging. Up to now, most dual-comb interferometers were based on
modelocked lasers, whose repetition rates have restricted the measurement speed
to ~ kHz. Here we demonstrate a novel dual-comb interferometer that is based on
electrooptic frequency comb technology and measures consecutive complex spectra
at a record-high refresh rate of 25 MHz. These results pave the way for novel
scientific and metrology applications of frequency comb generators beyond the
realm of molecular spectroscopy, where the measurement of ultrabroadband
waveforms is of paramount relevance
Reconfigurable RF-Waveform Generation Based on Incoherent-Filter Design
Radio-frequency (RF) waveform generators are key
devices for a variety of applications, including radar, ultra-wideband
communications, and electronic test measurements. Following
advances in broadband coherent pulsed sources and
pulse-shaping technologies, reconfigurable RF waveform generators
operating at bandwidths 1 GHz have become a reality. In
this work, we demonstrate reconfigurable RF waveform generation
using broadband spectrally incoherent optical sources. This
is achieved in two steps. First, we implement an RF incoherent
filter. The energy spectrum of the optical source is conveniently
apodized using a commercially available computer-controlled
D-WDM channel selector with 100-GHz resolution. The channel
controller provides high flexibility for shaping the optical source
energy spectrum and, hence, high reconfigurability capabilities in
terms of the RF filter. Second, we show that by applying a short
baseband electrical waveform to the input of the RF filter, the
output RF spectrum of the electrical signal is a mapped version of
the designed RF filter transfer function. Specifically, we illustrate
the capabilities of our technique by generating RF signals with
10 GHz bandwidth and tunable repetition rate. Finally, we
discuss how this method can be scaled up to the millimeter-wave
range with current technolog
UWB Signal Generation and Modulation Based on Photonic Approaches
Demands for efficient and reliable wireless communications between computers, mobile phones, and other portable electronic devices in short distances are increasing very fast. Ultra-wideband impulse radio is one of the promising techniques, which has gained much research interests in recent years. It covers a wide scope of applications in short-reach wireless communications. Conventionally, the low-bandwidth electronics can process the UWB signals very well. More recently, microwave photonics has enabled a new paradigm for developing UWB techniques in photonic domain. The photonic approaches offer much higher bandwidth and seamless compatibility with optical fiber networks, which allow for scaling the UWB technology to more advanced application scenarios. This chapter is included because photonic approaches have become a unique and effective technique in microwave signal processing. We do not attempt to offer a comprehensive review of UWB photonics, but rather to introduce the typical photonic solutions for UWB signal generation, modulation, transmission, down conversion, and so on
Time-varying Huygens' meta-devices for parametric waves
Huygens' metasurfaces have demonstrated almost arbitrary control over the
shape of a scattered beam, however, its spatial profile is typically fixed at
fabrication time. Dynamic reconfiguration of this beam profile with tunable
elements remains challenging, due to the need to maintain the Huygens'
condition across the tuning range. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate
that a time-varying metadevice which performs frequency conversion can steer
transmitted or reflected beams in an almost arbitrary manner, with fully
dynamic control. Our time-varying Huygens' metadevice is made of both electric
and magnetic meta-atoms with independently controlled modulation, and the phase
of this modulation is imprinted on the scattered parametric waves, controlling
their shapes and directions. We develop a theory which shows how the scattering
directionality, phase and conversion efficiency of sidebands can be manipulated
almost arbitrarily. We demonstrate novel effects including all-angle beam
steering and frequency-multiplexed functionalities at microwave frequencies
around 4 GHz, using varactor diodes as tunable elements. We believe that the
concept can be extended to other frequency bands, enabling metasurfaces with
arbitrary phase pattern that can be dynamically tuned over the complete 2\pi
range
- …