Microwave photonic signal processing based on parameter-to-time mapping

Microwave photonic signal processing such as microwave frequency measurement and temperature sensing has been widely studied due to its advantages such as large instantaneous bandwidth, high resolution, flexible reconfigurability as well as immunity to electromagnetic interference. In this paper, we review our recent works about microwave photonic signal processing based on parameter-to-time mapping, where the parameters under test, such as the frequency or temperature, are mapped to the time interval of the output pulses. Parameter-to-time mapping relationship is therefore established, and the parameter can be measured by using a low-speed time-domain acquisition equipment. The microwave photonic signal processing schemes based on parameter-to-time mapping feature low-cost and high resolution, which have great potential in applications such as radar, electronic warfare and metrology systems.