Development of One-Dimensional Norm Detector for Nanosecond-Level Transient Electric Field Measurement

Abstract

This paper develops a one-dimensional norm detector for nanosecond-level transient electric field (E-field) measurement based on the digital measurement technology. It has two main advantages over the traditional measurement method. First, the measured signals can be stored and no transmission line is needed. Hence, it can detect the E-field coupled in hermetically sealed cavities, such as the cockpit of an aircraft or a vehicle under electromagnetic compatibility test. Second, commonly used norms of the measured waveform can be acquired by the signal processing software quickly and conveniently. Therefore, the efficiency of the measurement experiment can be improved. This paper describes the detailed realization of the norm detector and the design of its signal processing software. The maximum sampling rate of the norms detector is 2 GSPS and the memory depth is 8 kB. Via adjusting the height of the antenna, the measuring range can be 0.1–55 kV/m and the estimated operation bandwidth is 1 kHz–460 MHz. The norm detector is tested and compared with the traditional E-field sensor with the fiber-optic link by measuring the square waveform and the actual electromagnetic pulse waveform. Furthermore, the norm detector can measure magnetic field, coupled current or high-voltage pulse by a simple structural modification.