Optical Microwave-Signal-Channelization Technique Analyzed

In a recent study, a proposed technique for optical frequency-band channelization of a microwave signal or other wide-band radio signal in a receiver was analyzed and compared with prior electronic and acousto-optical techniques. In frequency-band channelization, which is commonly used in wide-band radio receivers, a received signal is divided into narrow frequency bands (channels) and the signal in each channel is detected by a relatively narrow-band sub-receiver. In principle, frequency-band channelization offers benefits of reduced noise bandwidth and processing gain in the narrowband sub-receivers, leading to increased sensitivity, such that the wide-receiver could have a sensitivity approaching that of a narrow-band receiver. The quality of the channelization ultimately determines the performance of the receiver.