Robustness of Photonics-based Coherent Multi-Band MIMO Radar to Fiber-based Signal Distribution

The impact of radiofrequency (RF) signal distribution through optical fiber links on the performance of a photonics-based coherent multi-band multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system with widely separated antennas is numerically evaluated. A model of the phase noise induced on each RF band due to fiber transmission among the centralized base station and each radar peripheral (RP), is developed. Numerical Monte Carlo simulations estimating ad-hoc defined key performance indicators (KPIs) identify as main phase noise contributions chromatic dispersion, double Rayleigh scattering (DRS) and mechanical vibrations. In both the two study cases ‒ shipborne and port scenarios ‒ a significant performance worsening occurs for links length of about 20 km.