Nonlinear-DSP-Enabled RF-Photonic Link Navy STTR FY2014.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2014.A Topic No.: N14A-T023 Topic Title: Nonlinear-DSP-Enabled RF-Photonic Link Proposal No.: N14A-023-0347 Firm: RAM Photonics 4901 Morena Blvd. Suite 128 San Diego, California 92117 Contact: John Marciante Phone: (585) 771-7311 Web Site: www.ramphotonics.com Abstract: Digital equalizers have been the major enablers in RF communications in terms of managing component imperfections and channel impairments. Specifically, the ever increasing processing power of the dedicating computing processors has availed a steady increase in the ability of complex communication systems to deal with impairments as well as allowing higher capacities in the information transfer. On the other hand, RF photonic links, characterized by low loss and immunity to electro-magnetic-interference, have assumed a significant interest as an efficient vehicle of transporting the RF signals to and from remote antenna sites. While digital equalizers are a mainstay of RF communications, their utilization in RF photonic links has been scarce, simplistic, and largely reduced to only elementary implementation. Leveraging our expertise in both equalization and RF photonics, we propose to develop and implement a novel class of nonlinear equalizers, particularly suited to RF photonic links, providing the much needed extended dynamic range and linearity to these links. Successful completion of this program will enable unprecedented higher operational speeds and elevated capacities of the information transfer, thus finally availing performance close to their theoretically feasible bounds. Benefits: The research and development will result in a new class of RF photonic links with unprecedented dynamic range and linearity, thus availing longer reach, higher operational bandwidths, and a higher overall system capacity. The non-linear equalizers that will be developed in the Program will have a quite general relevancy to RF photonic applications and will have a direct use and impact on photonic ADCs', beam steering, radio over fiber links, and arbitrary waveform generators. Return