Carrier wave
In telecommunications, a carrier wave, carrier
signal, or just carrier, is a waveform (usually
sinusoidal) that is modulated (modified) with an
information-bearing signal for the purpose of
conveying information.[1] This carrier wave usually
has a much higher frequency than the input signal
does. The purpose of the carrier is usually either to
transmit the information through space as an
electromagnetic wave (as in radio communication),
or to allow several carriers at different frequencies to
share a common physical transmission medium by
frequency division multiplexing (as in a cable The frequency spectrum of a typical radio signal
television system). The term originated in radio from an AM or FM radio transmitter. The horizontal
communication, where the carrier wave creates the axis is frequency; the vertical axis is signal
waves which carry the information (modulation) amplitude or power. It consists of a signal (C) at the
through the air from the transmitter to the receiver. carrier wave frequency fC, with the modulation
The term is also used for an unmodulated emission in contained in narrow frequency bands called
the absence of any modulating signal.[2] sidebands (SB) just above and below the carrier.
In music production, carrier signals can be controlled
by a modulating signal to change the sound property of an audio recording and add a sense of depth and
movement.[3]
Contents
Overview
Carrierless modulation systems
Carrier leakage
See also
References
Overview
The term carrier wave originated with radio. In a radio communication system, such as radio or television
broadcasting, information is transmitted across space by radio waves. At the sending end, the information,
in the form of a modulation signal, is applied to an electronic device called a transmitter. In the transmitter,
an electronic oscillator generates a sinusoidal alternating current of radio frequency; this is the carrier wave.
The information signal is used to modulate the carrier wave, altering some aspects of the carrier, to impress
the information on the wave. The alternating current is amplified and applied to the transmitter's antenna,
radiating radio waves that carry the information to the receiver's location. At the receiver, the radio waves
strike the receiver's antenna, inducing a tiny oscillating current in it, which is applied to the receiver. In the
receiver, the modulation signal is extracted from the modulated carrier wave, a process called demodulation.
Most radio systems in the 20th century used frequency modulation (FM) or amplitude modulation (AM) to
add information to the carrier. The frequency spectrum of a modulated AM or FM signal from a radio
transmitter is shown above. It consists of a strong component (C) at the carrier frequency with the
modulation contained in narrow sidebands (SB) above and below the carrier frequency. The frequency of a
radio or television station is considered to be the carrier frequency. However the carrier itself is not useful in
transmitting the information, so the energy in the carrier component is a waste of transmitter power.
Therefore, in many modern modulation methods, the carrier is not transmitted. For example, in single-
sideband modulation (SSB), the carrier is suppressed (and in some forms of SSB, eliminated). The carrier
must be reintroduced at the receiver by a beat frequency oscillator (BFO).
Carriers are also widely used to transmit multiple information channels through a single cable or other
communication medium using the technique of frequency division multiplexing (FDM). For example, in a
cable television system, hundreds of television channels are distributed to consumers through a single
coaxial cable, by modulating each television channel on a carrier wave of a different frequency, then
sending all the carriers through the cable. At the receiver, the individual channels can be separated by
bandpass filters using tuned circuits so the television channel desired can be displayed. A similar technique
called wavelength division multiplexing is used to transmit multiple channels of data through an optical
fiber by modulating them on separate light carriers; light beams of different wavelengths.
Carrierless modulation systems
The information in a modulated radio signal is contained in the sidebands while the power in the carrier
frequency component does not transmit information itself, so newer forms of radio communication (such as
spread spectrum and ultra-wideband), and OFDM which is widely used in Wi-Fi networks, digital
television, and digital audio broadcasting (DAB) do not use a conventional sinusoidal carrier wave.
Carrier leakage
Carrier leakage is interference caused by cross-talk or a DC offset. It is present as an unmodulated sine
wave within the signal's bandwidth, whose amplitude is independent of the signal's amplitude. See
frequency mixers.
See also
Carrier recovery
Carrier system
Carrier tone
Frequency-division multiplexing
Sideband
References
1. "Carrier wave with no modulation transports no information" (https://web.archive.org/web/20
080414012934/http://www.utexas.edu/research/cemd/nim/Agif/CarrWave.html). University Of
Texas. Archived from the original (http://www.utexas.edu/research/cemd/nim/Agif/CarrWave.
html) on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
2. Federal Standard 1037C and MIL-STD-188
3. Rory PQ (May 8, 2019). "What Is Modulation and How Does It Improve Your Music" (https://ic
oncollective.edu/modulation-tips/). Icon Collective. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
The dictionary definition of carrier wave at Wiktionary
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