Johnson-Nyquist noise

noun

The electronic noise generated by the thermal agitation of the charge carriers (usually the electrons) inside an electrical conductor at equilibrium, which happens regardless of any applied voltage.

Similar
Johnson noiseNyquist noisethermal noise
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Meanings

nounJohnson-Nyquist noise (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe electronic noise generated by the thermal agitation of the charge carriers (usually the electrons) inside an electrical conductor at equilibrium, which happens regardless of any applied voltage.

    Synonyms: Johnson noise, Nyquist noise, thermal noise

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe electronic noise generated by the thermal agitation of the charge carriers (usually the electrons) inside an electrical conductor at equilibrium, which happens regardless of any applied voltage.

Similar
Johnson noiseNyquist noisethermal noise
Also see
johnson noisenyquist noisethermal noise

Origin

Discovered and first measured by John B. Johnson at Bell Labs in 1926. His colleague Harry Nyquist provided an explanation of the results.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Johnson-Nyquist noise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnson-Nyquist%20noise

MLA

“Johnson-Nyquist noise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnson-Nyquist%20noise. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Johnson-Nyquist noise,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnson-Nyquist%20noise.

Source: Johnson-Nyquist noise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.