Terms

Aliasing

Improper sampling of a function causes high-frequency responses to be mixed with low-frequency responses. This mixing is called aliasing. Aliasing limits a system's ability to measure input signals.

Baseband bandwidth

See Video bandwidth.

Carrier synchronizer

Circuit that generates the received carrier.

Cascode

An arrangement of electronic active devices that combines two amplifier stages for increased output resistance.

Charge pump

A current source that is controlled by the phase error (e.g., a pulsed current source).

Clock synchronizer

A circuit that generates the received clock waveform.

Coherent

Correlated waveforms that are characterized by a fixed phase relationship between points on the electromagnetic wave. Synchronous signals are a subset of this definition with a 0 phase relationship.

Coherent integration

A signal-processing technique that uses a signal's magnitude and phase information.

Correlated (deterministic/systematic) jitter

See Spurious jitter.

Cycle-to-cycle jitter

Time variation from adjacent period measurements. Also known as edge-to-edge jitter. The difference between successive periods (Nth period N ? 1 period).

Cycle slip

The event when phase comparison of the VCO with the input reference oscillator slips one or more cycles.

Denominator

The expression written below the line in a network function.

Dynamic range

In general, the power range from the minimum detection level to the saturation point. In regards to a specific receiver, it can have many meanings, depending on the performance specification (probability of detection or probability of an error) of the system. For example, it could be defined as anywhere from the 0.1-dB saturation point to a signal-to-noise level...