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Pulse measurement apparatus and method

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1028489
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Webster, NY
  2. Pittsford, NY
  3. Scottsville, NY
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An embodiment of the invention is directed to a pulse measuring system that measures a characteristic of an input pulse under test, particularly the pulse shape of a single-shot, nano-second duration, high shape-contrast optical or electrical pulse. An exemplary system includes a multi-stage, passive pulse replicator, wherein each successive stage introduces a fixed time delay to the input pulse under test, a repetitively-gated electronic sampling apparatus that acquires the pulse train including an entire waveform of each replica pulse, a processor that temporally aligns the replicated pulses, and an averager that temporally averages the replicated pulses to generate the pulse shape of the pulse under test. An embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for measuring an optical or an electrical pulse shape. The method includes the steps of passively replicating the pulse under test with a known time delay, temporally stacking the pulses, and temporally averaging the stacked pulses. An embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for increasing the dynamic range of a pulse measurement by a repetitively-gated electronic sampling device having a rated dynamic range capability, beyond the rated dynamic range of the sampling device; e.g., enhancing the dynamic range of an oscilloscope. The embodied technique can improve the SNR from about 300:1 to 1000:1. A dynamic range enhancement of four to seven bits may be achieved.

Research Organization:
University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
FC52-92SF19460
Assignee:
University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)
Patent Number(s):
8,044,655
Application Number:
12/114,956
OSTI ID:
1028489
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (6)

Optical packet compressor for ultra-fast packet-switched optical networks journal January 1997
Static and synchronized switching noise management of replicated optical pulse trains journal August 2006
Picosecond optical sampling journal September 1974
Single-shot optical sampling oscilloscope for ultrafast optical waveforms journal March 1998
Optical Packet Replicator Using Cascaded SOA-Based Active Fiber Ring journal July 2009
Earth's Annual Global Mean Energy Budget journal February 1997

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