Photonic Approach for Multiparameter Measurement of CW and Pulsed Microwave Signals

This article presents a novel photonic approach for the simultaneous measurement of multiple parameters in microwave signals, including angle-of-arrival (AOA), carrier frequency (CF) for continuous-wave (CW) signals, and additional parameters of pulse amplitude (PA), pulsewidth (PW), and time of arrival (TOA) for pulsed signals. The proposed approach is experimentally demonstrated, offering a comprehensive solution for advanced microwave signal analysis. A dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM) is employed to modulate the input signals, with a triangular wave applied to the dc port to facilitate downconversion and AOA determination from intermediate frequency (IF) outputs. The upper and lower sidebands from the DPMZM are demultiplexed into two branches. The upper branch includes an optical filter (with a linear transmission spectrum) for mapping frequency to power. This configuration enables the extraction of multiple parameters from the IF signals. Experimental results confirm the system’s capability for multiparameter measurement, demonstrating its high precision and versatility. Detailed discussions on measurement performance, as well as comparisons with existing approaches are provided. With its ability to perform simultaneous, high-precision measurements across a wide frequency range, the proposed system has significant potential for applications in electronic reconnaissance and communications.