High Dynamic Range Spectral Analysis in the kHz Band

Many beam instrumentation signals of large circular accelerators are in the kHz range and can thus be digitised with powerful high resolution ADCs. A particularly large dynamic range can be achieved if the signals are analysed in the frequency domain. This report presents a system employing audio ADCs and FPGA-based spectral analysis, initially developed for tune measurement applications. Technical choices allowing frequency domain dynamic ranges beyond 140 dB are summarised.