Can electromagnetic field(EMF) meter used to detect electromagnetic pulse(EMP)?

Question

In theory,can electromagnetic field(EMF) meter used to detect electromagnetic pulse(EMP)?

Answer 1

I doubt it because usually all that class of measuring devices basically integrate a periodic (ideally sinusoidal) signal.

In other words, they are conceived to yield an average over time of the amplitude of a signal whose average value varies slowly in time. They might have less inertia than an antique voltmeter or ampere-meter with a physical dial, but still, they are not conceived to follow the very quick variations in time and enormous variations in the amplitude of an EM pulse.

Here is an analogy:

Imagine a person in a room in a house. The room is lit by a lamp and it can be varied with a dimmer.

• As long as the dimmer is operated reasonably slowly, the person can perceive the variations of the brightness of the lamp and record it in a notebook, for instance.

• If the thunder suddenly strikes the network, either the power cable will melt or the bulb will melt or both.

So basically, if the person in the room does not know about the storm going on outside, all she notices is the bulb suddenly stopping to work. She doesn't perceive any transitory signal allowing her to infer the cause of the blackout.

Similarly, I suppose that an ordinary EM meter will just suddenly stop working, not leaving a clue as to what happened.

If the EM meter is far enough from the source of the pulse so as not to be damaged by the pulse, then it will not probably record the blip corresponding to the pulse (because it is a very short transitory signal). An old-fashioned radio however will probably produce a short audible blip.