Imaging receivers and related methods of operation mapping space-division multiplexing to wavelength-division multiplexing

A method of operating a receiver, comprising:

• generating a plurality of optical carriers, each optical carrier having a wavelength that differs from the wavelengths of the other optical carriers;
• inputting each optical carrier into a plurality of optical paths such that each optical path transmits a portion of each of the plurality of optical carriers;
• at an input edge of an interference space, outputting from each optical path the portions of each of the plurality of optical carriers into the interference space;
• for each optical carrier, in the interference space, combining the portions of the optical carrier output by from each optical path into the interference space into a corresponding optical carrier beam in the interference space;
• in the interference space, focusing each optical carrier beam to spatially separated positions at an output edge of the interference space;
• by an antenna array, capturing a plurality of RF waves arriving at the antenna array at different angles of arrival (AoAs), each antenna of the antenna array generating an RF electrical signal corresponding to the captured RF waves;
• for each optical path, by a corresponding electro-optic modulator inserted in the optical path, modulating each of the plurality of optical carriers transmitted by the optical path by a corresponding one of the RF electrical signals to generate at least a first modulation sideband of each optical carrier for each captured RF wave;
• at the input edge of the interference space, outputting from each optical path, the first modulation sideband of each optical carrier for each captured RF wave, and combining the same in the interference space to create a corresponding first modulation sideband beam of each optical carrier for each captured RF wave that is focused at the output edge of the interference space at a location that is spatially offset from the optical carrier of the first modulation sideband beam;
• inputting into an output optical waveguide, a first modulation sideband beam corresponding to each of the captured RF waves,
• wherein the first modulation sideband beams input into the output optical waveguide are first sideband beams of different optical carriers.

An imaging receiver, comprising:

• an optical source configured to generate a plurality of optical carriers, each optical carrier having a wavelength that differs from the wavelengths of the other optical carriers;
• n optical waveguides, each optically coupled to the optical source to receive each of the plurality of optical carriers, the n optical waveguides terminating at an input edge of an interference space;
• an antenna array comprising n antennas (where n is an integer greater than one), the antenna array configured to simultaneously capture one or more RF waves arriving at the antenna array at a corresponding angle of arrival (AoA);
• n electro-optic modulators, each in electrical communication with a corresponding one of the n antennas of the antenna array and each configured to modulate all of the optical carriers provide by a corresponding one of the n optical waveguides with an RF signal resulting from the corresponding one of the n antennas capturing the one or more RF waves, the output of each of the n electro-optic modulators including the optical carriers and one or more first modulation sidebands respectively corresponding to the one or more RF waves captured by the antenna array;
• the interference space, the interference space having the input edge that provides an input to the interference space and an output edge that provides an output from the interference space;
• and
• an optical pickup at the output edge of the interference space.