Frequency stability characterization from the filtered signal of a precision oscillator in the presence of additive noise

The authors present a generalized theory to express the frequency stability characterization of a precision oscillator when its signal, perturbed by additive noise, is filtered. The general expressions for the power spectral density of the amplitude and phase fluctuations of the filtered signal are calculated as functions of the oscillator amplitude and phase fluctuations, the additive noise, and the filter characteristics. The results obtained for the phase fluctuations of the filtered signal are used to characterize the frequency stability of the oscillator. The contribution of white additive noise to the generalized Allan variance is expressed in terms of a parameter, the equivalent bandwidth. The contributions of other types of noise are also calculated. For the first-order low-pass filter, the contributions of all types of additive, amplitude, phase, and frequency noise are given. Experimental results show excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions