artifactual noise
noun phrase
Meaning
Distortions or errors in data, images, or signals caused by the equipment or software used to capture them rather than by the subject being observed.
Examples
- The radiologist carefully distinguished the patient's actual tumor from the artifactual noise created by the scanner's motion.
- Engineers worked to filter out artifactual noise that compromised the clarity of the deep-space radio signals.
Synonyms: glitch, distortion, interference, aberration