Jitter Definition

Jitter Definition

Jitter is any deviation in, or displacement of, the signal pulses in a high-frequency digitalsignal. The deviation can be in terms of amplitude, phase timing or the width of the signal pulse. Among the causes of jitter are electromagnetic interference (EMI) and crosstalk with other signals. Jitter can cause a display monitor to flicker, affect the ability of the processor in a desktop or server to perform as intended, introduce clicks or other undesired effects in audio signals, and loss of transmitted data between network devices. The amount of allowable jitter is highly dependent on the application.