Acousto-optic channelized receiver

Electronic warfare (EW) receivers have to operate now in an increasingly dense and complex signal environment. The three types of receivers which may currently be suited to EW applications include channelized receivers using filter banks, compression receivers using dispersive delay lines, and acousto-optic (AO) channelized receivers using Bragg cells. Depending on the readout method, the AO approach can be compared to either a filter bank channelized receiver or a compressive receiver. Important advantages of the AO approach are related to simplicity, small size, and high signal processing capability, while the major drawback is the relatively low dynamic range. Aspects of acousto-optic diffraction are discussed along with a power spectra analyzer, a laser source, Bragg cells, a photodetector array, an electronic preprocessor, an integrating AO channelized receiver, a parallel output AO channelized receiver, a miniature instantaneous Fourier transform, an interferometric spectral analyzer, the angle-of-arrival, and future developments.