Definitions for "Carrier wave"
Wave that serves as the vehicle for the transmission of information applied to it.
A single-frequency wave that is modulated by another waveform in order to transmit information.
Periodic waveform. A carrier may be modulated or unmodulated. It may also be continuous or switched. Typically, modems modulate the carrier wave with a data signal. Modulation represents the data signal by impressing a variation on some characteristic of the carrier wave. For instance, a circuit may represent the signal as a proportional shift in carrier amplitude, frequency, or phase. Demodulation (detection) eliminates the carrier wave and reproduces the signal. The carrier frequency must be significantly greater than the signal frequency. A modem may simultaneously apply more than one signal and more than one modulation method to the same carrier. The modulation method may suppress the carrier before transmission. In that case, the receiver must reinsert the carrier before demodulation can occur.