Differential source-basis encoding for superresolved parameter estimation in a time-reversed Young interferometer

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Wen, Jianming
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Wen, Jianming
author_facet Wen, Jianming
contents We develop a differential source-encoding protocol for local parameter estimation in a time-reversed Young interferometer, where the source plane is used not merely as a scan coordinate but as a programmable measurement basis. Two sequential positive-only source patterns implement an antisymmetric differential probe about a chosen operating point, converting the deterministicc source-coordinate response into a derivative-gradient sensing channel. In the local regime, the differential signal separates naturally into an envelope-gradient term, which is also present in noninterferometric differential sensing, and an interference-gradient term, which is specific to the time-reversed Young fringe law. This decomposition identifies the physical origin of the interferometric advantage and clarifies why it is regime dependent rather than universal. Using a shot-noise-limited Poisson model, we derive the corresponding Fisher information and Cramér--Rao bounds and compare the protocol with raster sampling in the same geometry and with a matched noninterferometric differential baseline. Representative numerical examples show a strong and robust gain over raster sampling, while the additional improvement from the time-reversed Young interference is parameter dependent but can be substantial in favorable regimes. The results establish the time-reversed Young geometry as a practically simple platform for programmable differential interferometric metrology.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_27407
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Differential source-basis encoding for superresolved parameter estimation in a time-reversed Young interferometer
Wen, Jianming
Optics
Applied Physics
Quantum Physics
We develop a differential source-encoding protocol for local parameter estimation in a time-reversed Young interferometer, where the source plane is used not merely as a scan coordinate but as a programmable measurement basis. Two sequential positive-only source patterns implement an antisymmetric differential probe about a chosen operating point, converting the deterministicc source-coordinate response into a derivative-gradient sensing channel. In the local regime, the differential signal separates naturally into an envelope-gradient term, which is also present in noninterferometric differential sensing, and an interference-gradient term, which is specific to the time-reversed Young fringe law. This decomposition identifies the physical origin of the interferometric advantage and clarifies why it is regime dependent rather than universal. Using a shot-noise-limited Poisson model, we derive the corresponding Fisher information and Cramér--Rao bounds and compare the protocol with raster sampling in the same geometry and with a matched noninterferometric differential baseline. Representative numerical examples show a strong and robust gain over raster sampling, while the additional improvement from the time-reversed Young interference is parameter dependent but can be substantial in favorable regimes. The results establish the time-reversed Young geometry as a practically simple platform for programmable differential interferometric metrology.
title Differential source-basis encoding for superresolved parameter estimation in a time-reversed Young interferometer
topic Optics
Applied Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.27407