Patent ID: 8655177

Claim:
A method of generating an information-bearing optical signal, including the steps of: generating an information-bearing baseband electrical signal comprising an in-phase (I) component and a quadrature (Q) component, each said component having a predetermined single-sided baseband bandwidth requirement (B); combining said baseband I- and Q-signal components with corresponding I and Q components of a radio frequency (RF) carrier, said carrier having a central frequency greater than said bandwidth requirement (B); and modulating an optical source having an optical frequency (f 1 ) with the combined baseband I-signal and RF I-carrier components and baseband Q-signal and RF Q-carrier components so as to produce a modulated optical signal comprising a single information-bearing optical sideband at the optical frequency f 1 , corresponding with said information-bearing electrical signal components, and an optical carrier offset from the optical frequency (f 1 ), corresponding with said RF carrier components.