Wideband UHF acousto-optic processor

This paper summarizes our studies of a time-integrating acousto-optic processor that offers a compact solution to detecting and analyzing wideband spread-spectrum signals for variety of radar, navigation or communication applications. The heart of the processor is a 2D quadrature radio- frequency time-integrating acousto-optic correlator complemented by a subsequent digital processor. Quadrature envelope processing allows the number of delay channels to be significantly reduced. The correlator can have a processing bandwidth up to 500 MHz, and the digital processor is used to perform nonlinear detection and get spectrum information. We discuss the general structure of the processor, possible operating modes and corresponding post-detector processing algorithms. Theoretical points include sensitivity, dynamic range and frequency resolution. Preliminary experimental results obtained in the UHF range are also presented.