Boxcar averagers are effective tools to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in a minimal amount of measurement time when working with low-duty-cycle signals. Such signals contain relevant information only in a fraction of each period; outside that fraction, only noise is present. Capturing low-duty-cycle signals with high quality and the ability for real-time feedback is crucial for many applications in optics and photonics, nanotechnology and materials science, quantum technologies, scanning probe microscopy, and sensing.
The graphic below illustrates the principle of boxcar averaging: limiting the measurement to a well-defined temporal window in each period (in grey) means that all signal components outside of that window are rejected.
Unlike a regular digitizer or an oscilloscope, the measurement results are immediately available in the digital domain and as analog signals with a user-defined offset, and scaling factors. Moreover, integrated PID controllers can process the results to create feedback loops and the lock-in amplifier units can perform additional demodulation on the boxcar results if an additional modulation is present.
Our white paper on the principles of boxcar averaging offers a more detailed discussion.
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INDRobo Technologies, based in Pune, India, partners with government bodies and research institutions to deliver high-quality scientific equipment, software, and components. With a strong focus on Quantum Computing, we provide a wide range of products essential for R&D.
