Jitter in regenerative detectors

A method for finding an equivalent noise bandwidth for a regenerative detector which allows the accurate prediction of period jitter with no fitted parameters is reported. The analysis reported is new in several ways. First, the model includes the time constant of the amplifier around which the detector is built (τ_OUT), even for predicting the oscillator´s noise-free period. With τ_OUT nonzero, the delay between each threshold-crossing and the detector´s response lengthens the oscillator´s period by the excess period (about four times the delay). Simulations of an emitter-coupled oscillator (ECO), in excellent agreement with measurements, show that the excess period is roughly proportional to τ_OUT^2/3 . Second, the noise analysis avoids small-signal bandwidths by using the pulse sensitivity