Measurement system and method for analyzing RF signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11921142-B2
Application number	US-202217949799-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2022
Priority date	Nov 19, 2021
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed is a measurement system for analyzing RF signals, comprising an optically transparent enclosure including an optically pumpable medium being exposed to an electromagnetic field of the RF signal to be analyzed; an optical pump for penetrating the medium with intensity-modulated light, the intensity defining an absorption sensitivity of the medium; a field generator for generating an electric and/or magnetic field within the enclosure, a strength of the generated field defining an absorption frequency of the medium; a controller for controlling the absorption sensitivity of the medium in dependence of the absorption frequency of the medium; and a detector for detecting an optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium. This facilitates fine-tunable and frequency-dependent control of sensitivity and dynamic range for spectral analysis of RF signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measurement system for analyzing RF signals, comprising
an optically transparent enclosure comprising an optically pumpable medium being exposed to an electromagnetic field of the RF signal to be analyzed;
an optical pump for penetrating the medium with intensity-modulated light, the intensity defining an absorption sensitivity of the medium;
a field generator for generating an electric and/or magnetic field within the enclosure, a strength of the generated field defining an absorption frequency of the medium;
a controller for controlling the absorption sensitivity of the medium in dependence of the absorption frequency of the medium; and
a detector for detecting an optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.

2. The measurement system of claim 1 ,
the optical pump comprising one of: a directly modulated laser, and an externally modulated laser;
the field generator being configured to generate a homogeneous field within the enclosure;
the controller being configured to sweep the absorption frequency of the medium over a frequency range of the RF signal to be analyzed; and
the detector comprising a photodiode.

3. The measurement system of claim 2 ,
the externally modulated laser comprising an acousto-optic modulator.

4. The measurement system of claim 1 ,
the optical pump comprising a spatially resolving light modulator; and
the field generator being configured to generate a spatially resolved inhomogeneous field within the enclosure;
the controller being configured to spatially resolve the absorption sensitivity of the medium in accordance with the spatially resolved absorption frequency of the medium; and
the detector comprising a camera.

5. The measurement system of claim 4 ,
the spatial resolution being present in a lateral direction relative to a propagation direction of the light.

6. The measurement system of claim 4 ,
the spatially resolving light modulator comprising a transmissive light valve.

7. The measurement system of claim 1 ,
the medium comprising at least one constituent of: atoms, molecules or ions in a gas, and or point defects in a solid.

8. The measurement system of claim 7 ,
the optical pump comprising a coherent light source being resonant to at least one energy transition of the at least one constituent to an initial energy state.

9. The measurement system of claim 8 ,
the initial energy state comprising a Rydberg state.

10. The measurement system of claim 7 ,
the gas comprising an alkali metal.

11. The measurement system of claim 10 ,
the gas comprising Rubidium.

12. The measurement system of claim 7 ,
the solid comprising a diamond.

13. The measurement system of claim 1 ,
the optical pump being configured to penetrate the medium in a continuous wave, CW, mode; and
the detector being configured to continually detect the optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.

14. The measurement system of claim 13 ,
the optical property comprising one of: an intensity, and a photon count.

15. A method for analyzing RF signals, comprising
generating an electric and/or magnetic field in an optically transparent enclosure comprising an optically pumpable medium being exposed to an electromagnetic field of the RF signal to be analyzed, a strength of the generated field defining an absorption frequency of the medium;
penetrating the medium with intensity-modulated light, the intensity defining an absorption sensitivity of the medium;
controlling the absorption sensitivity of the medium in dependence of the absorption frequency of the medium; and
detecting an optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Ruster Thomas

Classifications

• G01R29/0885 Primary

  using optical probes, e.g. electro-optical, luminescent, glow discharge, or optical interferometers · CPC title

• G01R29/0892

  Details related to signal analysis or treatment; presenting results, e.g. displays; measuring specific signal features other than field strength, e.g. polarisation, field modes, phase, envelope, maximum value · CPC title