Measurement system and method for analyzing RF signals

1. A measurement system for analyzing RF signals, comprising

an optically transparent enclosure comprising an optically pumpable medium being exposed to an electromagnetic field of the RF signal to be analyzed;

an optical pump for penetrating the medium with intensity-modulated light, the intensity defining an absorption sensitivity of the medium;

a field generator for generating an electric and/or magnetic field within the enclosure, a strength of the generated field defining an absorption frequency of the medium;

a controller for controlling the absorption sensitivity of the medium in dependence of the absorption frequency of the medium; and

a detector for detecting an optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.

2. The measurement system of claim 1 ,

the optical pump comprising one of: a directly modulated laser, and an externally modulated laser;

the field generator being configured to generate a homogeneous field within the enclosure;

the controller being configured to sweep the absorption frequency of the medium over a frequency range of the RF signal to be analyzed; and

the detector comprising a photodiode.

3. The measurement system of claim 2 ,

the externally modulated laser comprising an acousto-optic modulator.

4. The measurement system of claim 1 ,

the optical pump comprising a spatially resolving light modulator; and

the field generator being configured to generate a spatially resolved inhomogeneous field within the enclosure;

the controller being configured to spatially resolve the absorption sensitivity of the medium in accordance with the spatially resolved absorption frequency of the medium; and

the detector comprising a camera.

5. The measurement system of claim 4 ,

the spatial resolution being present in a lateral direction relative to a propagation direction of the light.

6. The measurement system of claim 4 ,

the spatially resolving light modulator comprising a transmissive light valve.

7. The measurement system of claim 1 ,

the medium comprising at least one constituent of: atoms, molecules or ions in a gas, and or point defects in a solid.

8. The measurement system of claim 7 ,

the optical pump comprising a coherent light source being resonant to at least one energy transition of the at least one constituent to an initial energy state.

9. The measurement system of claim 8 ,

the initial energy state comprising a Rydberg state.

10. The measurement system of claim 7 ,

the gas comprising an alkali metal.

11. The measurement system of claim 10 ,

the gas comprising Rubidium.

12. The measurement system of claim 7 ,

the solid comprising a diamond.

13. The measurement system of claim 1 ,

the optical pump being configured to penetrate the medium in a continuous wave, CW, mode; and

the detector being configured to continually detect the optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.

14. The measurement system of claim 13 ,

the optical property comprising one of: an intensity, and a photon count.

15. A method for analyzing RF signals, comprising

generating an electric and/or magnetic field in an optically transparent enclosure comprising an optically pumpable medium being exposed to an electromagnetic field of the RF signal to be analyzed, a strength of the generated field defining an absorption frequency of the medium;

penetrating the medium with intensity-modulated light, the intensity defining an absorption sensitivity of the medium;

controlling the absorption sensitivity of the medium in dependence of the absorption frequency of the medium; and

detecting an optical property of the penetrating light passing through the medium.