Segmented chirped-pulse fourier transform spectroscopy

1. A method for obtaining an emission from a sample in response to excitation using a specified range of excitation frequencies, the method comprising:

generating a chirped excitation signal;

applying the chirped excitation signal to the sample;

receiving an emission from the sample, the emission elicited at least in part by the chirped excitation signal; and

downconverting the received emission to provide a downconverted emission signal within the bandwidth of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC);

wherein the generating the chirped excitation signal includes generating a first chirped waveform during a first duration, and a second chirped waveform during a second duration, the first and second chirped waveforms including respective different frequency ranges, the different frequency ranges having respective bandwidths specified based at least in part on the bandwidth of the ADC and including a total bandwidth corresponding to the specified range of excitation frequencies.

2. The method of claim 1 , downconverting the received emission includes:

mixing a first portion of the received emission with a local oscillator (LO) at a first frequency; and

mixing a second portion of the received emission with the LO at a second frequency.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second chirped waveforms have respective bandwidths substantially less than or equal to the bandwidth of the ADC.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second chirped waveform further includes generating the second chirped waveform to provide continuous coverage over the specified range of excitation frequencies with the first chirped waveform.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

creating a digital representation of the downconverted emission signal with the ADC.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

computing, with a processor, a spectrum of the digital representation of the downconverted emission signal.

7. A method, comprising:

applying a first chirped excitation signal to a sample, the first chirped excitation signal having a first bandwidth and spanning a first millimeter-wave frequency range; and

applying a second chirped excitation signal to the sample, the second chirped excitation signal having a second bandwidth less than or equal to the first bandwidth and spanning a second millimeter-wave frequency range different than the first millimeter-wave frequency range.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

sensing an emission from the sample, the emission elicited at least in part by the first chirped excitation signal and/or the second chirped excitation signal; and

downconverting the emission to generate a downconverted emission signal.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

generating a digital representation of the downconverted emission signal with an analog-to-digital converter having a bandwidth greater than or substantially equal to the first bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein sensing the emission includes:

sensing a first emission elicited by the first chirped excitation signal and a second emission elicited by the second chirped excitation signal, the method further comprising generating a spectrum based on the first emission and the second emission, the spectrum including the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

generating the first chirped excitation signal from a first chirped waveform in a first duration; and

generating the second chirped excitation signal from a second chirped waveform in a second duration different than the first duration.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating the first chirped excitation signal includes:

generating a first chirped waveform;

upconverting the first chirped waveform to generate a first upconverted chirped waveform; and

frequency multiplying the first upconverted chirped waveform to generate the first chirped excitation signal.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first chirped waveform and the second chirped waveform provide continuous coverage over the specified range of excitation frequencies.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a signal source configured to apply a first chirped excitation signal and a second chirped excitation signal to a sample, the first chirped excitation signal having a first bandwidth and spanning a first millimeter-wave frequency range and the second chirped excitation signal having a second bandwidth less than or equal to the first bandwidth and spanning a second millimeter-wave frequency range different than the first millimeter-wave frequency range; and

a mixer configured to generated a downconverted emission signal from an emission from the sample, the emission elicited at least in part by the first chirped excitation signal or by the second chirped excitation signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the signal source comprises:

a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to generate a first chirped waveform;

a mixer, operably coupled to the DAC, to generate an first upconverted chirped waveform from the first chirped waveform; and

a frequency multiplier, operably coupled to the mixer, to generate the first chirped excitation signal from the first upconverted chirped waveform.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) operably coupled to the mixer and configured to generate a digital representation of the downconverted emission signal, the ADC having an ADC bandwidth less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:

a processor operably coupled to the ADC and configured to generate a spectrum based on the emission, the spectrum including the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the signal source is further configured to:

generate the first chirped excitation signal from a first chirped waveform having a bandwidth less than or equal to the ADC bandwidth; and

generate the second chirped excitation signal from a second chirped waveform having a bandwidth less than or equal to the ADC bandwidth.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first chirped excitation signal and the second chirped excitation signal provide continuous coverage over a specified range of frequencies.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first frequency range and the second frequency range are within a range of excitation frequencies for exciting the sample.