Pulsbreeddomming

Pulsbreeddomming is a phenomenon in signal processing and wave propagation in which a short transient pulse broadens in time as it travels through a medium or a channel with dispersion and multipath effects. The result is a pulse that is longer in duration when it arrives than when it was emitted, often accompanied by changes in peak amplitude and shape. The term is used in contexts such as optical communications, radio and wireless channels, ultrasound imaging, and radar.

Causes of pulsbreeddomming include dispersion, where the phase velocity of different frequencies varies in the medium, and multipath delay spread, where multiple copies of the pulse take different paths and arrive at different times. Other contributing factors can be hardware bandwidth limitations, filtering, and non-linear effects that alter the pulse spectrum. The overall effect is an increase in pulse duration and, in digital communications, potential intersymbol interference.

Quantification typically uses metrics such as the pulse broadening factor (ratio of output to input pulse width), rms delay spread, or the channel impulse response. These measures help assess the impact on temporal resolution and data integrity. Mitigation strategies include dispersion compensation (in optical fibers), equalization and pulse-shaping in receivers, and limiting bandwidth or using shorter, more robust pulse formats. In imaging, reducing pulsbreeddomming improves axial resolution and contrast.

See also dispersion, impulse response, intersymbol interference, multipath, and dispersion compensation.