A Levitated Random Telegraph Noise Spectrometer
Authors:
Molly Message,
Bianca C. J. Uy,
Katie O'Flynn,
Yugang Ren,
Muddassar Rashid,
Jonathan D. Pritchett,
Qiongyuan Wu,
Hyukjoon Kwon,
Benjamin A. Stickler,
James Millen
Abstract:
Random Telegraph Noise is a ubiquitous process manifesting across technology and the natural world. It is characterized by random jumps between two distinct states with Poissonian waiting times, and is the origin of 1/f noise. Understanding and characterizing this noise is critical for the reliable operation of micro-, nano- and quantum-technologies. In this work we probe random telegraph noise us…
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Random Telegraph Noise is a ubiquitous process manifesting across technology and the natural world. It is characterized by random jumps between two distinct states with Poissonian waiting times, and is the origin of 1/f noise. Understanding and characterizing this noise is critical for the reliable operation of micro-, nano- and quantum-technologies. In this work we probe random telegraph noise using a levitated microparticle sensor whose dynamics are driven almost entirely by this non-white source of noise. We observe a startling resonant behaviour, characterized by a thousand-fold increase in the underdamped sensor's position fluctuations, enabling us to measure the spectral properties of the noise over six decades of timescale. This work not only provides a unique way to probe random telegraph noise, but also demonstrates a platform for studying non-equilibrium stochastic dynamics in the presence of realistic non-white noise, with applications from biology to social behaviour.
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Submitted 26 May, 2026;
originally announced May 2026.