Novel RF-source-free reconfigurable microwave photonic radar

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Microwave Engineering
• Radar Systems

Background:

• Traditional radar systems often require external radio frequency (RF) sources for signal generation and processing.
• Achieving reconfigurability in radar systems, particularly in terms of bandwidth and frequency, presents significant engineering challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel reconfigurable microwave photonic (MWP) radar system.
• To showcase the capability of generating and processing microwave signals with adjustable parameters using photonic techniques.
• To investigate the theoretical analysis and practical tunability of the developed MWP radar's bandwidth and central frequency.

Main Methods:

• Generation of a large-bandwidth, ultra-low phase noise microwave signal using a Fourier domain mode-locking optoelectronic oscillator.
• Implementation of photonics-based de-chirp processing via phase modulation in a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator and subsequent photodetector mixing.
• Experimental demonstration of the radar system operating from X to Ku band with a 2 GHz instantaneous bandwidth.

Main Results:

• Successful experimental demonstration of a reconfigurable MWP radar.
• Achieved adjustable signal format, bandwidth, and central frequency without external RF sources.
• Demonstrated microwave imaging of trihedral corner reflectors using the developed system.

Conclusions:

• The developed photonics-assisted programmable radar offers significant advantages in terms of reconfigurability and flexibility.
• The system successfully integrates photonic components for both signal generation and processing in a radar application.
• The experimental results validate the theoretical analysis and highlight the potential of MWP technology for future radar systems.