Phase-Locked Loops

Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are closed-loop negative-feedback control systems that maintain the phases of two periodic signals in a well-defined phase relation. Consequently, PLLs are versatile tools for measuring and tracking a signal's frequency, for extracting a given frequency component of the original signal while eliminating noise and spurious components, or for synthesizing new signals based on the input signal.

In addition, PLLs can provide feedback to an external system to drive it at certain points of its transfer function, for example at resonance, or to synchronize two external oscillators by tracking their beat note as often done in optical PLLs. This versatility makes PLLs great tools for physics and engineering applications such as scanning probe microscopy, MEMS, NEMS and resonators, electronic engineering, optics and photonics.

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