Abstract
A novel approach to implementing instantaneous microwave frequency
measurement based on simultaneous optical phase modulation and intensity
modulation with improved measurement range and resolution is proposed and
experimentally demonstrated. The simultaneous optical phase modulation and
intensity modulation are implemented using a polarization modulator (PolM)
in conjunction with an optical polarizer. The phase- and intensity-modulated
optical signals are then sent to a dispersive element, to introduce
chromatic dispersions, which results in two complementary dispersion-induced
power penalty functions. The ratio between the two power penalty functions
has a unique relationship with the microwave frequency. Therefore, by
measuring the microwave powers and calculating the power ratio, the
microwave frequency can be estimated. Thanks to the complementary nature of
the power penalty functions, a power ratio having a faster change rate
versus the input frequency, i.e., a greater first-order derivative, is
resulted, which ensures an improved measurement range and resolution. The
proposed approach for microwave frequency measurement of a continuous-wave
and a pulsed microwave signal is experimentally investigated. A frequency
measurement range as large as 17 GHz with a measurement resolution of ${\pm} 0.2$ GHz for a continuous-wave microwave signal and ${\pm}0.5$ GHz for a pulsed microwave signal is achieved.
© 2009 IEEE
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