Non-exotic theory of 1/f noise as a trace of infralow-frequency fluctuations

TL;DR

This paper revisits the explanation of 1/f noise as infralow-frequency fluctuations, showing that spectral measurement of stationary low-frequency noise can account for flicker noise without exotic assumptions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that 1/f noise can be explained by stationary infralow-frequency fluctuations, challenging previous models and clarifying measurement effects.

Findings

Spectral measurements of ILF noise reveal flicker noise characteristics.

ILF noise correlation time exceeds spectral analyzer reciprocal bandwidth.

Temperature fluctuations and defect motion models are reinterpreted through ILF noise.

Abstract

This report is aimed at reviving the explanation of flicker-noise observations as the result of spectral measurement of very low-frequency but stationary narrow-band fluctuations named as infralow-frequency noise (ILF noise) [A. Ya. Shul'man. Sov. Tech. Phys. Lett. 7, 337 (1981), Sov. Phys. JETP 54, 420 (1981)]. Such a kind of the spectrum analyzer output takes place when the ILF-noise correlation time is much longer than the analyzer reciprocal bandwidth. This result is valid for both analog and digital spectral measurements. The measured signal is proportional in this case to the mean square and not to the spectral density of the noise. The equilibrium temperature fluctuations and the defect-motion as mechanisms of $1/f$ noise in metal films are reconsidered from this point of view. It is shown that the ILF-noise approach allows to remove the main objection against temperature fluctuation model and difficulties within the defect-motion model widely discussed in literature.