Simple analytical model of spectrum-sliced microwave photonic filters based on chromatic dispersion

An analytical model is presented in this work for microwave photonic filters based on spectrum-sliced broadband light source and dispersion. Utilizing the assumption of incoherent operation and dispersion, the model is quite simple. Calculations based on the model are compared with measured results and a good agreement is seen. This model can be helpful in optimizing the design of spectrum-sliced filters. For instance, our calculations show that a spectrum-sliced light source with a Gaussian power profile can lead to improved main to secondary sidelobe ratio.