Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15056 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866915865934430208 |
|---|---|
| author | Peng, Zitong Zheng, Jie Yue, Xiaokai |
| author_facet | Peng, Zitong Zheng, Jie Yue, Xiaokai |
| contents | We present a low-cost experimental setup to measure the Boltzmann constant (kB) and the elementary charge (e) through thermal and shot noise, achieving relative accuracies of up to 1%. The system utilizes a cost-effective ADC module integrated with a carefully selected low-noise audio operational amplifier, resulting in a simple and compact circuit design that better satisfies experimental requirements. Furthermore, the approach employs a dual-channel sampling method to measure cross-correlation noise, thereby significantly reducing the uncorrelated background noise of the device and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The noise measurement methodology offers an intuitive demonstration of microscopic fluctuations, making it a valuable teaching tool. In addition, the experimental setup employs standard electronic components, is low cost and robust, making it well-suited for widespread adoption in university and even high school laboratories. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_15056 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Low-cost cross-correlation noise setup for measuring the Boltzmann constant and the elementary charge Peng, Zitong Zheng, Jie Yue, Xiaokai Physics Education We present a low-cost experimental setup to measure the Boltzmann constant (kB) and the elementary charge (e) through thermal and shot noise, achieving relative accuracies of up to 1%. The system utilizes a cost-effective ADC module integrated with a carefully selected low-noise audio operational amplifier, resulting in a simple and compact circuit design that better satisfies experimental requirements. Furthermore, the approach employs a dual-channel sampling method to measure cross-correlation noise, thereby significantly reducing the uncorrelated background noise of the device and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The noise measurement methodology offers an intuitive demonstration of microscopic fluctuations, making it a valuable teaching tool. In addition, the experimental setup employs standard electronic components, is low cost and robust, making it well-suited for widespread adoption in university and even high school laboratories. |
| title | Low-cost cross-correlation noise setup for measuring the Boltzmann constant and the elementary charge |
| topic | Physics Education |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.15056 |