An acoustooptic phased array antenna beamformer with independent phase and carrier control using single sideband signals

An acoustooptic phase-array antenna beamformer is experimentally demonstrated using single sideband signals with frequencies omega /sub c/+ omega /sub 0/ and omega /sub c/- omega /sub 0/ to drive the two acoustooptic devices, respectively. Varying omega /sub c/ controls the antenna carrier (2 omega /sub c/), while changing omega /sub 0/ only effects the phase. Phase control of 0-2 pi is achieved using 0-340 kHz change in omega /sub 0/, with the carrier fixed at 120 MHz using omega /sub c/=60 MHz. A dynamic range of 66.6 dB at 2 MHz and carrier-to-noise of 126.9 dB/Hz at 2 MHz is measured. This beamformer can provide wide antenna tunable bandwidth and intrapulse beam forming.<>