Orthogonally polarized optical single sideband modulation for microwave photonics processing using stimulated Brillouin scattering

We present a novel technique to generate orthogonally polarized optical single sideband modulated signals. The modulation scheme is based on all optical stimulated Brillouin scattering processing of the optical carrier of an optical single sideband modulated signal, by means of the polarization state dragging induced by this non-linear effect. This modulation technique can be used in several microwave photonics applications, such as antenna beamforming or microwave photonics filters. In order to perform a proof-of-concept experiment, the orthogonal modulator is deployed for the implementation of an RF phase-shifter. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America