Correcting EM system bandwidth limitations

Abstract

All EM transmitters, sensors and data acquisition systems have bandwidth limitations. Transmitters have upper bandwidth limitations due to finite slew rate issues, and systems have a lower bandwidth set by the base frequency used. Receivers and data acquisition systems ideally should have a flat bandwidth response that spans the transmitted signal bandwidth. The data acquisition system should sample fast enough to capture the highest frequencies of interest, with anti-alias filters to prevent data contamination from unwanted signals. Sensors however may have physical bandwidth limitations, for example fluxgates and feedback MT sensors may have an upper corner frequency of a few kHz, and ARMIT and feedback MT sensors have lower corner frequencies in the sub 1 Hz range. In many cases, the sensor corner frequency can be mathematically described as a single- or multi-pole response. In this case, it is possible to exactly deconvolve the data to exactly correct for the sensor imperfection. A limitation of this process is that noise as well as signal may be amplified in this correction process. Without correction, data may be incorrectly modelled or interpreted. This paper illustrates the correction of fluxgate (mostly a time delay of hundred or more microseconds), ARMIT 2 (where a significant but exact correction is required), ANT23 feedback and 3D3 dBdt data.