Multisine signals for wireless system test and design [Application Notes]

Multisine signals are used in the laboratory and in the field to provide a periodic, well-characterized waveform that can simulate complex modulated radio frequency (RF) signals. In the field of wireless telecommunications, multisines are often used to provide realistic test signals that have statistics similar to various types of digitally modulated signals. It is concluded that the multisine approach is well suited for evaluating a nonlinear system excited by real communication signals. Multisine signals enable to gather important information about the in-band distortion and to excite long-term memory effects by generating baseband components. They are periodic and straightforward to characterize, making them ideal for identifying both magnitude and phase distortion during test and verification. Using multisines to simulate standard wireless system excitations and figures of merit allows for very good laboratory nonlinear distortion measurement setups.