On instantaneous amplitude and phase of signals

Abstract

In many questions of signal processing, it is important to use the concepts of instantaneous amplitude or phase of signals. This is especially the case in communication systems with amplitude or frequency modulation. These concepts are often introduced empirically. However, it is well known that the correct approach for this purpose is to use the concept of analytic signal. Starting from this point, we show some examples of contradictions appearing when using other definitions of instantaneous amplitude or frequency that are commonly admitted. This introduces the problem of characterizing pure amplitude-modulated or pure phase-modulated signals. It is especially shown that whereas amplitude modulated signals can be characterized by spectral considerations, this is no longer the case for phase-modulated signals. Furthermore, signals with constant amplitude have very specific properties, which are analyzed in detail. Some consequences and extensions to random signals are finally discussed.