Photonic-Enabled Intelligent Ultrahigh-Bandwidth Time-Frequency Waveform Processing

现代信息处理和通信技术（ICT）基于利用电磁波的时间变化来传输、处理和感测所需数据。这是广泛应用的核心策略，包括电信系统和当前的传感、成像和计量平台，如雷达和激光雷达方案。这些应用需要开发“波形处理”工具，包括时间轮廓和相关属性（例如，频谱）。为了满足对更高容量和更先进（例如，“智能”）ICT能力，波形处理需要以更快的速度（远高于GHz范围）实现，并具有上级通用性和实时适应性。这被称为“认知”或“软件定义”范式。目前的解决方案主要依赖于基于电子的数字信号处理（DSP）。这种方法能够以灵活和敏捷的方式进行复杂的波形处理，但是认知范式所需的一组严格规范超出了现有技术的范围。该发现计划将探索一种替代方法，即模拟光信号处理（OSP），其中使用超快光波和光子器件实现所需的操作。先前的研究已经提供了光子学在紧凑和高效实现中的显著处理速度（或带宽）优势的明确证据，例如，集成芯片上。然而，到目前为止，OSP方法仅限于非常基本的波形处理功能，并且可编程性受到很大限制，阻碍了其最终的实际应用潜力。该研究计划将通过开发突破性的OSP技术来解决这些关键缺点，该技术的复杂性和可重构性与最先进的DSP方案相似，同时大幅提高处理速度，达到THz范围。作为朝着这个方向迈出的相关一步，我们将推进OSP方法，使强大的联合时频信号分析框架能够实时应用于超高速波和系统（首次），为该领域的关键进步开辟道路。通过这些活动，该计划将在基础科学和技术发展方面做出重要贡献，为未来“智能”超快ICT系统实现基本信号处理引擎，包括宽带通信，雷达和激光雷达平台。该计划产生的新知识和对HQP在目标战略领域的培训将有助于提高加拿大在关键高科技领域的全球竞争力。

Modern information processing and communication technologies (ICTs) are based on exploiting the temporal variations of electromagnetic waves for transmitting, processing, and sensing the desired data. This is the strategy at the core of a wide range of applications, including telecommunication systems, and current platforms for sensing, imaging, and metrology, such as radar and lidar schemes. These applications require the development of “waveform processing” tools, comprising the generation, manipulation, detection and analysis of the temporal profile and related properties (e.g., frequency spectrum) of the involved waves. To fulfil the ever-growing demand for higher capacity and more advanced (e.g., “intelligent”) ICT capabilities, the waveform processing needs to be implemented at faster speeds (well above the GHz range), and with superior versatility and real-time adaptability. This is referred to as the “cognitive” or “software-defined” paradigm. Present solutions mainly rely on electronics-based digital signal processing (DSP). This approach enables sophisticated waveform processing in a flexible and agile fashion, but the required set of stringent specifications for the cognitive paradigm is beyond the reach of present technologies. This Discovery program will explore an alternative approach, namely, analog optical signal processing (OSP), in which the desired operations are implemented using ultrafast light waves and photonic devices. Previous research has provided clear evidence of the significant processing speed (or bandwidth) advantage of photonics in compact and efficient implementations, e.g., on integrated chips. However, as conceived to date, the OSP approach is limited to very basic waveform processing functionalities and with greatly constrained programmability, hindering its ultimate practical application potential. This research program will address these critical shortcomings through the development of ground-breaking OSP technologies with a level of complexity and reconfigurability similar to that of the most advanced DSP schemes, while offering a dramatic increase in processing speed, to the THz range. As a relevant step in this direction, we will advance the OSP approach to enable real-time application of the powerful joint time-frequency signal analysis framework on ultrahigh-speed waves and systems (for the first time), opening the path to key advancements in the field. Through these activities, the program will make important contributions, both in fundamental science and technological developments, towards the realization of fundamental signal-processing engines for future “intelligent” ultrafast ICT systems, including broad-bandwidth communications, radar and lidar platforms. The new knowledge generated from this program and the training of HQP in the targeted strategic areas will contribute to enhance Canada's global competitiveness in critical high-technology sectors.