Method for an arbitrary waveform measurement and a system to operate said method

A method for detecting an electromagnetic use-signal with a measurement system comprising the following steps:

• a. Providing an input interface for an electromagnetic input signal which is set up in such a way that an electromagnetic use-signal is provided;
• b. Providing an electromagnetic reference signal source which is set up in such a way that an electromagnetic reference signal comprising M discrete tones with M≥2 is provided;
• and
• c. Providing a subsystem, comprising:
• i. a first splitting element which is set up in such a way that the use-signal is split into a multitude of N partial use-signals with N≥2;
• ii. a second splitting element which is set up in such a way that the reference signal is split into a multitude of N partial reference signals, wherein N is the number of corresponding partial use-signals;
• iii. N corresponding mixing elements which are set up in such a way that each partial use-signal is mixed with the corresponding partial reference signal to generate a total number of
• ∑
• n
• =
• 1
• N
• K
• n
• partial mixing signals, wherein the n-th mixing element generates Kn partial mixing signals;
• iv. a number of
• ∑
• n
• =
• 1
• N
• K
• n
• corresponding acquisition elements which are set up in such a way that the
• ∑
• n
• =
• 1
• N
• K
• n
• partial mixing signals are digitized such that
• ∑
• n
• =
• 1
• N
• K
• n
• digitized partial mixing signals are generated;
• v. a digital signal processor, that is setup in such a way that a digital use-signal is reconstructed from the digitized partial mixing signals using a transformation based on a system model that relates the
• ∑
• n
• =
• 1
• N
• K
• n
• digitized partial mixing signals to the use-signal and that comprises at least one model parameter related to at least one of the properties of the measurement system;
• d. wherein at least one partial reference signal comprises at least two spectral tones, and that
• e. wherein the totality of all partial mixing signals comprises redundant information that is used to determine the at least one model parameter of the measurement system.