Noise analysis in linear electronic circuits

Despite extensive literature on the analysis of noise in electronic circuits [1–7], it is sometimes difficult to generate an understanding at a useful fundamental level. The plethora of symbols used for a variable in different analysis can also make it very difficult to keep track of the exact units used and factors of 2 and 2π can be easily misplaced. The analysis that follows will develop some useful equations from plausible noise sources in a short argument. The emphasis is to minimise the mathematical path in order to keep an eye on the dimensions and constants. It is hoped that this paper can pull enough of the relevant arguments together at one time to provide a useful overview. While this analysis is of general use in linear electronic circuits, the initial motivation for the work was to analyse radiation detector systems. The text contains examples of detector readout circuits which demonstrate the use of the equations developed.