Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-5mhkq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-12T15:15:59.355Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A sound card based multi-channel frequency measurement system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2006

S. Groeger ,
G. Bison ,
P. E. Knowles  and
A. Weis
S. Groeger
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Université de Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 3, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
G. Bison
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Université de Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 3, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
P. E. Knowles*
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Université de Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 3, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
A. Weis
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Université de Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 3, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
*
[email protected]
Get access

Abstract

For physical processes which express themselves as a frequency, for example magnetic field measurements using optically-pumped alkali-vapor magnetometers, the precise extraction of the frequency from the noisy signal is a classical problem. We describe herein a frequency measurement system based on an inexpensive commercially available computer sound card coupled with a software single-tone estimator which reaches Cramér–Rao limited performance, a feature which commercial frequency counters often lack. Characterization of the system and examples of its successful application to magnetometry are presented.

Keywords

Type
Research Article
Information
The European Physical Journal - Applied Physics , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , March 2006 , pp. 221 - 224
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Groeger, S., Bison, G., Weis, A., J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stan. 110, 179 (2005) CrossRef
Bloom, A.L., Appl. Optics 1, 61 (1962) CrossRef
Groeger, S., Pazgalev, A.S., Weis, A., Appl. Phys. B 80, 645 (2005) CrossRef
Chibane, Y., Lamoreaux, S.K., Pendlebury, J.M., Smith, K.F., Meas. Sci. Technol. 6, 1671 (1995) CrossRef
S.M. Kay, Fundamentals of Statistical Signal Processing, Volume I: Estimation Theory, Prentice-Hall signal processing series (Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1993)
Rife, D.C., Boorstyn, R.R., IEEE T. Inform. Theory 20, 591 (1974) CrossRef
Barnes, J., Chi, A.R., Cutler, L., Healey, D., Leeson, D., McGunigal, T., Mullen Jr, J.., W. Smith, R. Sydnor et al., IEEE T. Instrum. Meas. 20, 105 (1971) CrossRef
Lesage, P., Audoin, C., Radio Sci. 14, 521 (1979) CrossRef
Allan, D.W., IEEE T. Ultrason. Ferr. 34, 647 (1987) CrossRef