Few-mode fiber true time delay lines

TL;DR

This paper introduces few-mode fiber links engineered to act as true time delay lines for RF signals, enabling parallel signal processing in microwave photonics applications.

Contribution

It presents the design of few-mode fibers with tailored modal dispersion properties functioning as sampled true time delay lines.

Findings

Demonstrated few-mode fibers can serve as effective true time delay lines.

Tailored modal dispersion enables precise RF signal delay.

Potential for enhanced parallel processing in microwave photonics.

Abstract

Space-division multiplexing optical fibers can provide not only parallel channel transmission but also parallel distributed signal processing, being this a feature particularly attractive in Microwave Photonics applications. We present here few-mode fiber links with tailored modal propagation and dispersion properties that operate as sampled true time delay lines for radiofrequency signals.