Topics In The Theory Of Random Noise Vol 1 | R. L. Stratonovich

The present book, in two volumes, is concerned with a variety of topics which have been left to one side, as it were, but which are never­ theless of great practical importance. In particular, we have in mind problems involving the effects of noise on electronic relays and vacuum- tube oscillators. Recently, there has been increased interest in the oper­ ation of switching devices and self-excited systems, not only because of the development of methods of coherent radar detection, but also in connection with such problems as increasing the accuracy of time measurements, designing particle accelerators and computing ma­ chines, etc. However, the journal literature in these new fields of statistical radio engineering is hard to penetrate. In the present book, noise in relays and oscillators is studied in an organized fashion, from a rather general point of view. Material that can be found in the literature has been systematized, and the results of some original investigations by the author have been included. The physical treatment of the results obtained may be a bit sketchy, but it seems to us that brevity coupled with wide coverage is justified in this instance, since the rapid growth in the total number of published papers has increased the need for some kind of survey, even one resembling a handbook.

Part I of Volume I is devoted to a review of the mathematical results used later in the book. In many places, it has seemed appropriate, for the sake of brevity, to depart from the usual presentation of the basic concepts and results of probability theory. The reader who is not familiar with this necessary background material can refer to any one of a number of textbooks. Those already acquainted with elementary probability theory will find that Part 1 contains a different treatment ofcertain well-known topics, in addition to some new results. In fact, Part I ought not to be devoid of interest even to mathematicians, provided, of course, that they make due allowances for the heuristic level of rigor adopted.