[time-nuts] Relationship of frequency to stability

[John Sloan]

SHORT VERSION: I’ve been trying to figure out what the relationship is between frequency and stability - if there is one - that is, why oscillators with higher frequencies tend to be more stable.

LONG VERSION: I got into this by building a home-brew NTP server using a cesium-disciplined oscillator, specifically a Jackson Labs GPS-disciplined oscillator board that incorporates a Microsemi Chip Scale Atomic Clock. I started thinking about the 9,192,631,770Hz oscillator in the CSAC, the quartz oscillator in my $10 Casio wristwatch that is perhaps 32768 Hz, the 8 Hz balance wheel in my Rolex GMT Master II, the 6 Hz balance wheel in my Hamilton Jazzmaster, and the maybe 5 Hz of some of my less expensive mechanical wristwatches. In my personal experience, there is a correlation. I kinda figure this has to do somehow with the Q calculation, but it’s just not happening for me, math-wise. For example, arguments about relative error seem to cancel out because of the greater number of ticks per second. I’m putting a talk together and would like to rationalize this somehow. Googling hasn’t provided any insights so far. Links to references would be great. Thanks for any pointers!

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J. L. Sloan            Digital Aggregates Corp.
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