A method of RF signal processing comprises receiving an incoming RF signal at each of a plurality of antenna elements that are arranged in a first pattern. The received RF signals from each of the plurality of antenna elements are modulated onto an optical carrier to generate a plurality of modulated signals that each have at least one sideband. The modulated signals are directed along a corresponding plurality of optical channels with outputs arranged in a second pattern corresponding to the first pattern. A composite optical signal is formed using light emanating from the outputs of the plurality of optical channels. Non-spatial information contained in at least one of the received RF signals is extracted from the composite signal.

An embodiment method includes multiplexing light emitted by the plurality of optical transmitters to provide a multiplexed optical signal; propagating the multiplexed optical signal through an optical interleaver from a first port thereof to a combined port thereof and back to a second port thereof; and detecting an optical signal at the second port of the optical interleaver.

A system is provided for measuring distance or displacement, comprising: first and second laser sources configured to provide first and second laser outputs; a beam combiner configured to receive and combine at least part of the first and second laser outputs into a combined laser output; a signal calibrator configured to receive at least part of the first laser output, the second laser output, or the combined laser output, and output a calibration signal; a plurality of optical paths, including a first optical path, a second optical path, the plurality of optical paths being configured to direct at least part of the combined beam onto an optical detector to produce an interference signal; and a signal processor configured to receive the interference signal and determine a pathlength difference between the first and second optical paths.

Provided is an optical communication system capable of suppressing the deterioration of an intensity waveform of an optical intensity modulated signal subjected to transformation using SSB modulation and improving a bit error ratio and a receiver sensitivity of the optical intensity modulated signal. The optical communication system includes: an optical transmitter section including: a single-side band modulation circuit configured to subject a double-side band modulated signal to generate a single-side band modulated signal; a correction circuit configured to correct an intensity of the single-side band modulated signal so that the intensity of the single-side band modulated signal becomes closer to an intensity of the double-side band modulated signal; and an optical IQ modulator configured to output an optical modulated signal; and an optical receiver section configured to receive the optical modulated signal to directly detect an intensity component of the optical modulated signal.

Provided is an optical communication system capable of suppressing the deterioration of an intensity waveform of an optical intensity modulated signal subjected to transformation using SSB modulation and improving a bit error ratio and a receiver sensitivity of the optical intensity modulated signal. The optical communication system includes: an optical transmitter section including: a single-side band modulation circuit configured to subject a double-side band modulated signal to generate a single-side band modulated signal; a correction circuit configured to correct an intensity of the single-side band modulated signal so that the intensity of the single-side band modulated signal becomes closer to an intensity of the double-side band modulated signal; and an optical IQ modulator configured to output an optical modulated signal; and an optical receiver section configured to receive the optical modulated signal to directly detect an intensity component of the optical modulated signal.

Methods and systems for optical signal transmission, particularly with carrier-less amplitude and phase (CAP) modulation and direct detection, are disclosed. In one exemplary aspect, a method of optical signal transmission is disclosed. The method includes receiving information bits at an input interface; mapping the information bits to a plurality of modulation symbols; separating in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the plurality of modulation symbols such that the I and Q components form a Hilbert pair in a resulting signal; pre-dispersing the resulting signal with an inverse of a phase delay of an expected chromatic dispersion to obtain a pre-dispersed signal; converting the pre-dispersed signal from digital domain to analog domain using a digital to analog conversion circuit; performing modulation of an output of the digital to analog conversion circuit to generate an output signal; and transmitting, over an optical transmission medium, the output signal from the modulation.

Provided is an optical communication system capable of suppressing the deterioration of an intensity waveform of an optical intensity modulated signal subjected to transformation using SSB modulation and improving a bit error ratio and a receiver sensitivity of the optical intensity modulated signal. The optical communication system includes: an optical transmitter section including: a single-side band modulation circuit configured to subject a double-side band modulated signal to generate a single-side band modulated signal; a correction circuit configured to correct an intensity of the single-side band modulated signal so that the intensity of the single-side band modulated signal becomes closer to an intensity of the double-side band modulated signal; and an optical IQ modulator configured to output an optical modulated signal; and an optical receiver section configured to receive the optical modulated signal to directly detect an intensity component of the optical modulated signal.

A scheme for generating, transmitting and receiving dual-polarization asymmetric single sideband photonic vector signal at millimeter wave spectral region is described. At a transmitter, information bits to be transmitted are modulated using a vector modulation technique to generate a baseband signal. The baseband signal is converted into its single sideband (SSB) version using a complex frequency source having a first frequency. Two IQ signals are generated using an integrated dual polarization IQ modulator. The I/Q modulator is driven by a laser source at frequency fc. The resulting signal is transmitter over an optical transmission medium and/or a multi-input, multi-output over the air antenna configuration, upconverted by a single-ended photodiode to a desired radio-frequency (RF) carrier frequency.

A scheme for generating asymmetric single sideband photonic vector signal at millimeter wave spectral region is described. At a transmitter, information bits to be transmitted are modulated using a vector modulation technique to generate a baseband signal. The baseband signal is converted into its single sideband (SSB) version using a complex frequency source having a first frequency. The real part of the upconverted signal is added to the real part of a second frequency source and is input as I component to an I/Q modulator. The imaginary part of the upconverted signal is added to the imaginary part of the second frequency source and is used as the Q component. The I/Q modulator is driven by a laser source at frequency fc. The resulting signal is transmitter over an optical transmission medium and upconverted by a single-ended photodiode to a desired radio-frequency (RF) carrier frequency.

Multiple bit values can be encoded on a single photon in a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using a plurality of sidebands of an optical carrier frequency. Computational and conjugate bases can be defined, and photons decoded based on a selected state from either basis. If n sidebands are available, as many as log.sub.2 n bits can be encoded on a single photon. Errors in detected bit values due to selection of an incorrect basis state or other errors can be at least partially corrected by bit distillation to identity bit strings for which a transmitter and a receiver record the same values, without insecure transmission of these values.