INSTANTANEOUS FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM OF MULTIPLE MICROWAVE SIGNALS BASED ON A DOUBLE WIDEBAND DISCRETE FREQUENCY PACKET

Abstract

Wideband discrete frequency packets (WDFP), generated by electro-optical modulation of continuous-wave lasers, provide high power for individual components, simple control of the packet pitch, and reduced complexity and cost compared to generators based on other physical principles. For these reasons, they represent a promising optical source for instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) systems of multiple microwave signals (MSM). This paper presents a dual-WDFP design generated by a single laser using phase electro-optical modulators. The use of dual-WDFP improves the versatility, reliability, and stability of IFM systems without requiring any reconfiguration for measuring different signal types. Furthermore, a channel-multiplexing-based detection scheme improves the signal-to-noise ratio compared to other approaches, providing greater configuration flexibility and high-speed retrieval of measured frequencies.