Improving Optical Metrology by Engineering the Target Environment
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866913128662433792 |
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| author | Grant, Thomas A. Chi, Cheng-Hung MacDonald, Kevin F. Zheludev, Nikolay I. |
| author_facet | Grant, Thomas A. Chi, Cheng-Hung MacDonald, Kevin F. Zheludev, Nikolay I. |
| contents | Measurements of positional coordinates and dimensions - whether by human vision or optical instrumentation - are fundamental to safety, industrial productivity, manufacturing quality/accuracy, and scientific discovery. The ultimate precision of such measurements is governed by the Fisher information conveyed from an object to a detector through the optical field, and strategies for enhancing measurement performance often focus on reducing detector noise and/or refining estimation algorithms. Building on the emerging understanding of Fisher information as a physical quantity that propagates through space in a wave-like fashion, we demonstrate that substantial gains in precision can also be made by engineering the electromagnetic environment of a measurement target to optimise the generation and transmission of Fisher information. Using nanowire position metrology based on light scattering at a wavelength λ = 640 nm as an architype system, we achieve a multifold enhancement in localisation precision, reaching beyond λ/10,000. Our results establish target environment engineering as a powerful and broadly applicable strategy for advancing measurement and sensing performance across platforms ranging from optical characterisation of micro- and nano-objects to microwave radars and optical LiDAR navigation systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_14595 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Improving Optical Metrology by Engineering the Target Environment Grant, Thomas A. Chi, Cheng-Hung MacDonald, Kevin F. Zheludev, Nikolay I. Optics Measurements of positional coordinates and dimensions - whether by human vision or optical instrumentation - are fundamental to safety, industrial productivity, manufacturing quality/accuracy, and scientific discovery. The ultimate precision of such measurements is governed by the Fisher information conveyed from an object to a detector through the optical field, and strategies for enhancing measurement performance often focus on reducing detector noise and/or refining estimation algorithms. Building on the emerging understanding of Fisher information as a physical quantity that propagates through space in a wave-like fashion, we demonstrate that substantial gains in precision can also be made by engineering the electromagnetic environment of a measurement target to optimise the generation and transmission of Fisher information. Using nanowire position metrology based on light scattering at a wavelength λ = 640 nm as an architype system, we achieve a multifold enhancement in localisation precision, reaching beyond λ/10,000. Our results establish target environment engineering as a powerful and broadly applicable strategy for advancing measurement and sensing performance across platforms ranging from optical characterisation of micro- and nano-objects to microwave radars and optical LiDAR navigation systems. |
| title | Improving Optical Metrology by Engineering the Target Environment |
| topic | Optics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.14595 |