Direction finding apparatus using tunable fiber optic delay line

摘要

A direction finding apparatus and method for an RF signal are described which provide a variable time delay in fiber optic cables. A tunable transmitter launches optical emissions of several wavelengths into a plurality of fiber optic cables. Since the waveguide material of each cable exhibits anomalous dispersion of the optical emissions, large changes in group refractive index are provided as a function of the different wavelengths of the optical emissions. As a consequence, only small changes in the different wavelengths of the optical emissions produce large changes in the time delay of the different wavelengths of the optical emissions within a fixed length of the optical fiber cables. This apparatus and method produce sensitive angle of arrival determinations for RF signals.