Complex representation of a signal, quadrature signals in receivers

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the representation of complex signals and quadrature signals in receivers. A real received signal can be expressed as A*cos(wt + p) and transformed into two complex sinusoids using Euler's formula. The receiver processes these signals by phase-shifting one by 90 degrees, resulting in A*cos(wt + p) and A*sin(wt + p). Key questions raised include the interpretation of frequency domain representations and the role of quadrature signals in signal processing.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of complex signal representation
  • Familiarity with Euler's formula
  • Knowledge of phase shifting in signal processing
  • Basic concepts of frequency domain analysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the role of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) in communication systems
  • Learn about the implications of non-symmetric frequency domain representations
  • Explore the mathematical foundations of Fourier transforms
  • Investigate the applications of digital signal processing (DSP) in real-world scenarios
USEFUL FOR

Electrical engineers, signal processing specialists, and students studying communication systems will benefit from this discussion, particularly those seeking to deepen their understanding of complex signal representations and quadrature signals.

luislandry
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Hey, I'm hoping this thread can clear up some confusion I have with complex signals and moving back and forth from physical signals to the mathematical models. I'll probably ask some questions specifically, but if you would like to help me please treat this whole post as a question because I'll try to walk through my understanding of the subject and it may be wrong in places.

A real received signal will have a form such as A*cos(wt + p). This can also be represented by Euler's formula by two complex sinusoids with additive inverse frequencies: A/2*exp(wt + p) + A/2*exp(-(wt + p)).

A receiver splits this into two signals and phase shifts one by 90 degrees, giving two signals A*cos(wt + p) and A*sin(wt + p), which are represented by A*exp(wt + p).

Q1: When a signal is shown in the frequency domain, and is symmetrical about the zero-frequency line, would this be the real signal?

Q2: When it is shown only in the positive frequencies, it's either just to save space on the diagram, or to represent the in-phase AND quadrature signals. Right?

Q3: What is the purpose of the quadrature signals? I didn't fully follow the explanations I've seen so far.

Q4: How do you interpret signals that are shown as not being symmetric about the zero-frequency line? How can these be realized as real signals?

Thanks a ton for your help here, I feel like these are details that I sort of glossed over before and would like a concrete understanding of.
 
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Bump...any DSP guys want to chime in?

Possibly this could be moved into homework? It's not homework, but it could fit in there.
 
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