Compensation of the Dispersion-Induced Power Fading in an Analog Photonic Link Based on PM–IM Conversion in a Sagnac Loop

An analog photonic link with the compensation of the dispersion-induced power fading is proposed and demonstrated based on phase modulation to intensity modulation conversion in a Sagnac loop. Due to the velocity mismatch of the modulator, only the incident light wave along the clockwise direction is effectively modulated by the radio frequency signals, while the counterclockwise light wave is not modulated. After combining the two light waves in a polarizer, an intensity modulated optical signal is generated, which can be directly detected. In addition, the phase difference between the two light waves can be adjusted through the polarization controller before the polarizer. This feature is used to shift the frequency response of a dispersive link to compensate the dispersion-induced power fading at any working frequency. Experimental results show that the power fading after transmission over both 25 and 50 km lengths of fiber in a conventional intensity modulated link can be successfully compensated in the proposed link, and thus, a high and constant link gain over a large frequency range is achieved. The spur-free dynamic ranges of the link before and after fiber transmission are also measured.