Pulslengten

Pulslengten is a Dutch term that refers to the duration of individual pulses within a pulsed signal. It is used in electronics, optics, and signal processing to describe how long a pulse lasts. Pulse length is typically expressed as a time interval in units such as nanoseconds, picoseconds, or femtoseconds. In many contexts, the length is defined by the time the signal remains above a chosen threshold, or, for symmetrical pulses, by the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the pulse’s intensity profile. Other common definitions include rise-to-fall duration or the interval between defined amplitude thresholds.

Pulslengten is a critical parameter in fields such as pulsed laser technology, radar, time-domain measurements, and high-speed communications. Shorter pulse lengths permit higher temporal resolution and data rates, but they generally require broader spectral bandwidth due to the time-bandwidth relationship. Longer pulses reduce bandwidth needs but limit temporal resolution. In laser physics, pulse length is influenced by cavity dynamics, gain, dispersion, and shaping methods; chirp management and dispersion compensation are often used to control the temporal profile.

Measuring and controlling pulslengten rely on fast instrumentation, including high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, fast photodetectors, autocorrelators, and streak cameras. Accurate assessment may require calibration against known references and correction for the instrument’s response.

Related concepts include pulse width, duty cycle, pulse repetition frequency, and time-bandwidth product. The term is most commonly found in Dutch-language literature, while English sources typically use pulse length or pulse duration.