What is the main role of an FM discriminator?

The primary role of an FM discriminator is to demodulate frequency modulation signals and analyze their components. In frequency modulation, the information is encoded in variations of frequency rather than amplitude. The FM discriminator converts these frequency variations back into voltage variations proportional to the original signal. This demodulation process is essential for recovering the transmitted information, such as audio or data, which was encoded on a carrier wave through frequency changes.

While modulation, amplification, and noise filtering are all important functions in signal processing, they do not pertain specifically to the unique function of a discriminator. Modulation and amplification involve changing signal properties to transmit or enhance a signal, and filtering is more about removing unwanted components from a signal rather than recovering the original information. Thus, the FM discriminator's specific task of demodulating and analyzing signals makes it a critical component in communication systems that utilize FM technology.