A system and a method of determining information relating to a periodic signal

A system for determining information relating to a first periodic signal, the system comprising:

• a sequence of storage elements each configured to store at least one charged particle,
• a first terminal configured to deliver charged particles to and receive charged particles from a first storage element of the sequence of storage elements, the first storage element configured to receive a first DC signal and a first AC signal comprising the first periodic signal,
• a signal source configured to provide a second periodic signal having a period at least substantially equal to an integer time a period of the first periodic signal or the period of the first periodic signal divided by an integer,
• a second terminal configured to deliver charged particles to and receive charged particles from a second storage element of the sequence of storage elements, the second storage element being configured to receive the second periodic signal, as a second AC signal, and a second DC signal,
• a current sensor configured to sense a current transmitted between the two terminals and output a corresponding current signal, and
• a processor configured to:
• a) a number of times:
• i) during a plurality of periods of the first AC signal, receive the current signal while keeping the first and second DC signals constant and
• ii) determine or obtain information as to the voltages of the first and second DC signals, where the first and/or second DC signal vary/ies from time to time, and
• b) determine the information based on the current signals.

A method of deriving information relating to a first periodic signal, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a second periodic signal having a period at least substantially equal to an integer times a period of the first signal or the period of the first signal divided by an integer,
• a plurality of points in time:
• feeding the first periodic signal, as a first AC signal, to a first storage element in a sequence of storage elements,
• feeding a first DC signal to the first storage element,
• feeding the second periodic signal, as a second AC signal, to a second storage element in the sequence of storage elements,
• feeding a second DC signal to the second storage element, wherein at least one of a voltage of the first DC signal and a voltage of the second DC signal differs at two different points in time, and
• during a plurality of periods of the first AC signal, keeping the first and second DC signals constant and detecting any current transmitted between the first storage element and the second storage element,
• deriving the information from the determined currents.