Radio frequency (RF) photonics, also known as microwave photonics, combines analog electronics and photonics. The essence of this activity is the up-conversion of time-varying electronic signals into the optical domain, so that high-speed signal processing can be accomplished, followed by down-conversion back to the electronic domain. Analog processing becomes essential when signal fluctuations are too rapid to enable digitization, giving RF photonics wide applicability in a variety of fields like wireless communications and radio astronomy.
It is these applications that form the substance of this book, which uses demonstration architectures to illustrate the delivery of a variety of functions. Attention is given to the challenges that photonics components need to meet to be usefully deployed in this area. With that appreciation, the reader is provided with detailed discussions of analog delay lines, RF photonic oscillators, integrated RF photonics and signal isolation, identification and processing. Perspectives for future development of this field are also included in this comprehensive volume.
Review by K. Alan Shore, Bangor University, U.K.
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.