Which statement best describes the process of intermodulation interference when two signals mix in a transmitter chain?

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Intermodulation interference arises when two signals pass through a nonlinear element in a transmitter chain. In a non‑linear device, the output is not a simple sum of the inputs; it generates new frequency components created by mixing the two signals, including sum and difference frequencies and various harmonics. These unwanted products can appear in other parts of the spectrum and disrupt nearby channels, which is the essence of intermodulation interference. If the chain were perfectly linear, only scaled copies of the original signals would appear, with no new frequencies.

The other terms describe different phenomena: amplitude modulation is intentionally varying a carrier’s amplitude to encode information; carrier suppression refers to reducing the carrier in certain modulation schemes; and phase jitter is random or rapid phase variation that can affect timing, not the creation of intermodulation products.