Microwave Photonics Empowered Integrated Sensing and Communication for 6G

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems are gaining significant attention as a pivotal development direction for future 6G wireless networks. To overcome challenges related to bandwidth, resource reuse, and complexity inherent in traditional electronics, microwave photonics has emerged as a promising field for achieving high-performance ISAC. This article provides an overview of microwave photonic technologies in wireless communication and sensing, illustrating the performance enhancement brought by photonics. The recent progress and typical performance metrics of key technologies in microwave photonic ISAC, including microwave photonic ISAC frontend transceivers, resource multiplexing, integrated waveform design, and adaptive parameter adjustment, are highlighted. In addition, novel microwave photonic ISAC systems like holographic radio and distributed ISAC are discussed.