Performance comparison of analogue inter-satellite microwave photonics link using intensity modulation with direct detection and phase modulation with interferometric detection

The performance of optical inter-satellite communications using microwave photonics technologies employing intensity modulation with direct detection (IMDD) and phase modulation (PM) with interferometric detection are investigated and demonstrated with a numerical example. The theoretical model considering the saturated gain and amplifier spontaneous emission noise of optical booster amplifier and optical preamplifier is constructed for both architectures. Furthermore, the authors compare the performance of PM with interferometric detection to optimum biased IMDD in terms of radio frequency (RF) gain, RF noise figure and compression dynamic range (CDR). The numerical results show that the PM with interferometric detection can achieve better RF gain, RF noise figure and CDR than the optimum biased IMDD link as the laser output power is lower than 14.34, 12.45 and 4.2 dBm, respectively.