Tandem Electrooptic Modulation and Interferometric Detection: Theory and Application

Abstract

This paper expands upon the RF photonic theory of electrooptic phase and intensity modulation detection as seen when coupled in tandem with an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer through the derivation of power transfer functions for such optical-microwave configurations. An inspection of the theory is presented and validated through experimental results. Several applications of a modulation/interferometric architecture are also reviewed, delineating the importance of a valid model for predicting the behavior of similar analog optical systems.

Keywords

• Analog optics
• analog photonics
• Mach–Zehnder modulator
• Mach–Zehnder interferometer
• microwave filter
• instantaneous frequency measurement