MATLAB app designer tool to study a microwave photonic filter that integrates analog and digital modulation formats

This work describes the design and implementation of a novel computer simulation technique based on MATLAB® App Designer to compute the frequency response of a microwave photonic filter. This computational tool allows undergraduate students involved in the study of optical communications to complement its formation in the classroom. The interface is designed with the adoption of new research approaches, such as active learning, allowing the student to deepen their understanding of the microwave photonics systems concepts. With this software, we can select between a single-mode or a multimode optical source, as well as, edit the parameters which determine the frequency response such as the chromatic dispersion parameter and the length of the optical fiber. The design in this paper is well described and supported by a mathematical method. The developed software includes both analog and digital modulation formats, giving potential application not only to facilitate and guide microwave photonic systems courses but also in fiber optic communication systems.