Granted Patent B2

US 12,399,205 · App. 18/548,391 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Inventors: Liam Bussey (London, GB); Fraser Burton (London, GB); Amelia Winterburn (London, GB); Marco Menchetti (London, GB)

Assignee: British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

G01R29/0885G01R29/0892

Abstract

Claims (28)

1. A method of controlling an electromagnetic field detector, wherein the electromagnetic field detector is configured to transmit a probe signal at a probe frequency in a first probe signal path and a second probe signal path to an optical receiver, wherein the first probe signal path passes through a transmission medium and the probe frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium from a ground state to a first excited state; transmit a coupling signal at a coupling frequency in a first coupling signal path, wherein the first coupling signal path overlaps with the first probe signal path in the transmission medium in a first overlapping section, wherein the coupling frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium to a predetermined excited state so as to induce an Electromagnetic Induced Transparency (EIT) effect in the transmission medium such that an incident electromagnetic field at the transmission medium causes a change in a refractive index in the transmission medium at the first overlapping section such that there is a change in an optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path; combine the first probe signal path, following the first probe signal path passing the first overlapping section of the transmission medium, with the second probe signal path, such that the incident electromagnetic field at the first overlapping section is detectable, at the optical receiver, as a change in an intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, the method comprising:

causing a first phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path so as to cause a variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path;

obtaining data indicating a second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path so as to increase the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is determinable from the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the first phase shift; and

causing the second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein obtaining data indicating the second phase shift comprises monitoring the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path in response to the application of the first phase shift.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first phase shift includes a first portion of the first phase shift in a first direction and a second portion of the first phase shift in a second direction, and monitoring the variation in the change in intensity comprises determining that the first portion of the first phase shift in the first direction causes an increase in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is in the first direction.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second phase shift is one of a plurality of phase shifts applied to the second probe signal path iteratively until a termination condition is met.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the termination condition is one of: when the increase in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path due to a phase shift of the plurality of phase shifts is less than a threshold, or when the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path due to a phase shift of the plurality of phase shifts is a decrease in the intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic field detector includes a plurality of transmission media, the first probe signal path passes through each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, the coupling signal overlaps with the first probe signal path in each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to induce the EIT effect in each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media such that an incident electromagnetic field at each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media causes a change in the refractive index of that transmission medium such that there is a change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, and the first probe signal path is combined, following the first probe signal path passing each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, with the second probe signal path such that the incident electromagnetic field at each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media is detectable, at the optical receiver, as a change in the intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, the method further comprising:

causing a first phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to cause a variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path;

obtaining data indicating a second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to increase the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is determinable from the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the first phase shift; and

causing the second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media.

7. A device for controlling an electromagnetic field detector, wherein the electromagnetic field detector is configured to transmit a probe signal at a probe frequency in a first probe signal path and a second probe signal path to an optical receiver, wherein the first probe signal path passes through a transmission medium and the probe frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium from a ground state to a first excited state, transmit a coupling signal at a coupling frequency in a first coupling signal path, wherein the first coupling signal path overlaps with the first probe signal path in the transmission medium in a first overlapping section, wherein the coupling frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium to a predetermined excited state so as to induce an Electromagnetic Induced Transparency (EIT) effect in the transmission medium such that an incident electromagnetic field at the transmission medium causes a change in refractive index in the transmission medium at the first overlapping section such that there is a change in an optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, and combine the first path of the probe signal, following the first probe signal path passing through the first overlapping section of the transmission medium, and the second path of the probe signal such that the incident electromagnetic field at the first overlapping section is detectable, at the optical receiver, as a change in the intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the device comprises:

a phase shift controller adapted to:

cause a first phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path so as to cause a variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path;

obtain data indicating a second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path so as to increase the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is determinable from the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the first phase shift; and

cause the second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the phase shift controller is adapted to monitor the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path in response to the application of the first phase shift.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first phase shift includes a first phase shift portion in a first direction and a second phase shift portion in a second direction, and the phase shift controller is adapted to determine that the first phase shift portion in the first direction causes an increase in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is in the first direction.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second phase shift is one of a plurality of phase shifts applied to the second probe signal path iteratively until a termination condition is met.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the termination condition is one of: when the increase in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path due to a phase shift of the plurality of phase shifts is less than a threshold, or when the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path due to a phase shift of the plurality of phase shifts is a decrease in the intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path.

12. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the electromagnetic field detector includes a plurality of transmission media, the first probe signal path passes through each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, the coupling signal overlaps with the first probe signal path in each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to induce the EIT effect in each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media such that an incident electromagnetic field at each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media causes a change in the refractive index of that transmission medium such that there is a change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, and the first probe signal path is combined, following the first probe signal path passing each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media, with the second probe signal path such that the incident electromagnetic field at each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media is detectable, at the optical receiver, as a change in the intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the change in the optical path length difference between the first probe signal path and the second probe signal path,

wherein the phase shift controller is further configured to:

cause a first phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to cause a variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path;

obtain data identifying a second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media so as to increase the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path, wherein the second phase shift is determinable from the variation in the change in intensity of the combined first probe signal path and the second probe signal path caused by the first phase shift; and

cause the second phase shift to be applied to the second probe signal path of each transmission medium of the plurality of transmission media.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions to cause an electromagnetic field detector to execute the method of claim 1 .

14. A computer system comprising at least one processor and memory configured to carry out the method of claim 1 .

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (64)