Electrically interfaced Brillouin-active waveguide for microwave photonic measurements

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Quantum Technologies
• Optomechanics and Materials Science

Background:

• Traditional optical-to-microwave transduction methods often degrade signal information.
• Preserving information is crucial for advanced signal processing and distribution in classical and quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optical-to-microwave conversion method that preserves signal information content.
• To demonstrate bidirectional conversion and spectral analysis capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an optomechanical waveguide integrated with a piezoelectric transducer.
• Leveraging intramodal Brillouin scattering for signal preservation.
• Implementing a multi-channel microwave photonic filter using electro-optomechanical waveguide segments.

Main Results:

• Achieved bidirectional optical-to-microwave conversion with quantum efficiency up to -54.16 dB.
• Demonstrated detection and spectral analysis of microwave photonic signals without information degradation.
• Successfully implemented a multi-channel microwave photonic filter.

Conclusions:

• The proposed electro-optomechanical system enables information-preserving optical-to-microwave conversion.
• This technology offers flexible strategies for remote sensing, channelization, and spectrum analysis in microwave photonics.
• Advancements in classical and quantum technologies are facilitated by this novel transduction method.