Two-step high-accuracy microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis based on optical frequency combs
Abstract
Broadband microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis are crucial for applications such as electronic warfare. However, when it comes to ultra wideband signal analysis, traditional electronic methods have high analysis accuracy, but intrinsic electronic bottlenecks limit their real-time analysis. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a two-step microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis method based on optical frequency combs. The system first performs coarse frequency localization over the 0-40 GHz range using stimulated-Brillouin-scattering-assisted frequency-to-time mapping (FTTM) and dual-comb channelized reception. The dual-comb is then reapplied for downconverting the signal under test, followed by digital signal processing to achieve high-accuracy unambiguous frequency extraction. Experimental results show that the system achieves mean single-tone frequency measurement errors of less than 10 kHz over 0-40 GHz. We further experimentally measure multi-tone, linearly frequency-modulated, and V-shaped frequency-modulated signals, demonstrating the proposed method's capability for analyzing complex signals.
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BibTeX
@misc{ma2026twostep,
title = {{Two-step high-accuracy microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis based on optical frequency combs}},
author = {Wentao Ma and Taixia Shi and Chi Jiang and Yang Chen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.11204},
eprint = {2609.11204},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11204},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Two-step high-accuracy microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis based on optical frequency combs
AU - Wentao Ma
AU - Taixia Shi
AU - Chi Jiang
AU - Yang Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.11204
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11204
AB - Broadband microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis are crucial for applications such as electronic warfare. However, when it comes to ultra wideband signal analysis, traditional electronic methods have high analysis accuracy, but intrinsic electronic bottlenecks limit their real-time analysis. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a two-step microwave frequency measurement and time-frequency analysis method based on optical frequency combs. The system first performs coarse frequency localization over the 0-40 GHz range using stimulated-Brillouin-scattering-assisted frequency-to-time mapping (FTTM) and dual-comb channelized reception. The dual-comb is then reapplied for downconverting the signal under test, followed by digital signal processing to achieve high-accuracy unambiguous frequency extraction. Experimental results show that the system achieves mean single-tone frequency measurement errors of less than 10 kHz over 0-40 GHz. We further experimentally measure multi-tone, linearly frequency-modulated, and V-shaped frequency-modulated signals, demonstrating the proposed method's capability for analyzing complex signals.
ER -