Chinese Optics Letters, Vol. 16, Issue 4, 040603 (2018)
50 GHz optical true time delay beamforming in hybrid optical/mm-wave access networks with multi-core optical fiber distribution 
Álvaro Morales1,*, Idelfonso Tafur Monroy1, Fredrik Nordwall2, and Tommi Sørensen3

Author Affiliations

- 1Department of Electrical Engineering, Electro-Optical Communications, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- 2Tektronix AB, Kista, Sweden
- 3GoMeasure ApS, Albertslund, Denmark
Abstract
We propose and experimentally validate an optical true time delay beamforming scheme with straightforward integration into hybrid optical/millimeter (mm)-wave access networks. In the proposed approach, the most complex functions, including the beamforming network, are implemented in a central office, reducing the complexity and cost of remote antenna units. Different cores in a multi-core fiber are used to distribute the modulated signals to high-speed photodetectors acting as heterodyne mixers. The mm-wave carrier frequency is fixed to 50 GHz (V-Band), thereby imposing a progressive delay between antenna elements of a few picoseconds. That true time delay is achieved with an accuracy lower than 1 ps and low phase noise.
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