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BELL SYSTEM TECHXICAL JOURNAL 



of ratio of rms noise input to rms signal input. Figure 2 shows the ratio 

 of / to I no = oKr/y/lir, the average current in the absence of signal, as a 

 function of ratio of rms signal input to rms noise input. Figure 3 shows 



I 1.6 



0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 

 RM.S. SIGNAL INPUT 

 RMS. NOISE INPUT 



2.0 



Fig. 2 — Variation of direct-current component in response of linear rectifier with ratio 

 of signal input to noise input. 



O 12 



o 

 z 10 



t- 

 2 8 



LJ 



a. ° 

 o 



? 4 



m 

 " 2 







-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 

 NOISE INPUT POWER IN DB ABOVE SIGNAL INPUT POWER 



Fig. 3 — Variation of direct-current component expressed in decibels, showing compar- 

 ison between linear rectification and power addition of signal and noise. 



the increment in d-c power output in decibels as varying amounts of noise 

 expressed in decibels relative to the signal are added. The correspond- 

 ing result for power addition is given for comparison. 



