Patent ID: 7271594

Claim:
A system comprising: a receiver assembly for receiving a signal having a sample component with a sample electric field and a sample polarization, and having a reference component with a reference electric field and a reference polarization, the reference polarization being offset from the sample polarization, the receiver assembly comprising: an analyzer for polarimetrically processing the signal, wherein the analyzer is capable of differencing the signal to generate a difference electric field proportional to the difference of the sample and reference electric fields, the polarimetric differencing reducing a magnitude of a common-mode amplitude of the sample and reference electric fields, wherein the analyzer is further capable of summing the signal to generate a sum electric field proportional to the sum of the sample and reference electric fields; and an electric-field detector for measuring the difference electric field, the reduction in common-mode amplitude decreasing a noise equivalent power of the electric-field detector wherein the receiver assembly further comprises: a power detector for measuring a sum power based upon the sum electric field; and a processor programmed to calculate a power ratio based upon the measured difference electric field and the measured sum power.