The Ultimate Limit in Measurements by Instrumental Analysis: An Interesting Account of Schroteffekt and Shot Noise

• Autores: M. Farooq Wahab, Arved E. Reising
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 95, Nº 9, 2018, págs. 1668-1671
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Shot noise is one of the essential concepts in instrumental analysis, which places a fundamental limit on quantitative measurements when the magnitude of the analytical signal is very small. The introduction of an abstract scientific concept with a brief historical perspective often shows the human side of science. In the scientific literature, several explanations are provided as to why shot noise is called “shot noise”. Some of them are incorrect, and some of them are partially based on personal opinions. In this short communication, the origins of the terms “shot effect” and “shot noise” are traced. The term “shot effect” was initially called Schroteffekt in Schottky’s 1918 paper, which finally became “shot noise” in the scientific literature written in English in the 1930s. Schottky, who made many fundamental contributions in physics, rarely wrote anything in English. Herein, we briefly clarify what Schottky thought in his own words when he coined this terminology. Several interesting conclusions are made, especially the self-correcting nature of science, which would encourage the young generation of scientists to think critically.