Program Manager: LtCol John Lowell, Ph.D.
 Currently, arbitrary waveform generators are sophisticated pieces of electronics capable of producing radiofrequency waveforms for communications, testing, and other applications. Current devices have less than 10 GHz of signal bandwidth, limited resolution (typically 8 bits amplitude), and timing resolution on the order of 1 ps. This program will explore producing the next generation of such devices using an optical carrier wave from a highly stable mode-locked femtosecond laser system. Such a system would have a potential signal bandwidth approaching 500 THz with sub-femtosecond timing resolution, and control over both amplitude and phase of the optical fields. Further, the production of such a device requires advances in methods for transferring high-bandwidth information between optical fields and electrical signals, including the development of massively parallel transducers and multiplexers. The program goal is to demonstrate a waveform generator with over 1 THz of coherent, analog signal bandwidth, and a 10 GHz signal refresh rate.
|
