USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

P Denzil Stilwell, Jr

Ravindra A Athale

William C Collins

A fiber optic feed includes an optical circuit for providing at least one optical output signal modulated according to an RF source and an antenna interface for demodulating the at least one optical output signal and communicating with an antenna, wherein the optical circuit includes a coherent light source, an interferometer driven by the coherent light source for synthesizing a plurality of independently controlled planar beams, an optic modulator for frequency modulating at least one of the independently controlled planar beams according to the RF source and an optic pickup for producing the at least one optical output signal according to a superposition of the plurality of independently controlled planar beams, wherein the interferometer includes at least one beam deflector for angularly deflecting at least one of the plurality of independently controlled beams according to a beam control command. A phased array antenna includes an optical circuit for providing at least one optical output signal modulated according to an RF source and an antenna module for demodulating the at least one optical output signal and communicating with at least one RF radiating element, wherein the optical circuit includes a coherent light source, an interferometer driven by the coherent light source for synthesizing a plurality of independently controlled planar beams, an optic modulator for frequency modulating at least one of the independently controlled planar beams according to the RF source, and an optic pickup for producing the at least one optical output signal according to a superposition of the plurality of independently controlled planar beams, wherein the interferometer includes at least one beam deflector for angularly deflecting at least one of the plurality of independently controlled planar beams according to a beam control command.

Fiber optic feed and phased array antenna

An optical matrix multiplier using two linear modulating arrays in which the columns of the first matrix to be multiplied control the modulation of one array and the rows of the second matrix control the other array. Light is directed through all combinations of elements on the two arrays and the resultant beams measured by individual elements on a two-dimensional detector array. The detecting elements time integrates the intensity of light falling on each of them, which value corresponds to an element of the product of the two matrices. The invention may be implemented among other ways with two linear electrooptical arrays, a linear array of light emitting diodes and a linear electrooptical array, or two Bragg cells and a pulsed light source.

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Cheverly, MD, United States of America

P Denzil Stilwell, Jr