Application of FPGA based Lock-in amplifier for ultrasound propagation measurements using the pulse-echo technique

Abstract: We describe application of a state-of-the art digital FPGA based Lock-In amplifier to measurements of ultrasound propagation and attenuation at fixed frequency in low temperatures and in high static magnetic fields. Our implementation significantly simplifies electronics required for high resolution measurements, allows to record the full echo train in single measurement and extract changes in both phase and amplitude of an arbitrary number of echa as a function of an external control parameter. The system is simple in operation requiring very little prior knowledge of electrical engineering and can bring the technique to a broad range of solid state physics laboratories. We have tested our setup measuring the magneto-acoustic quantum oscillations in the Weyl semimetal NbP. The results are directly compared with previous results obtained using standard instrumentation.