Breaking the temporal resolution limit by superoscillating optical beats

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates experimentally that superoscillating optical beats can surpass the traditional temporal resolution limit, achieving features about three times shorter than the Fourier transform limit while maintaining high visibility.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method using superoscillating optical pulses to break the temporal Fourier-transform limit, enabling super-resolution in optical timing.

Findings

Achieved threefold reduction in temporal feature size compared to transform-limited pulses.

Maintained 29.5% visibility in superoscillating optical beats.

Numerical simulations confirm potential for temporal super-resolution.

Abstract

Band-limited functions can oscillate locally at an arbitrarily fast rate through an interference phenomenon known as superoscillations. Using an optical pulse with a superoscillatory envelope we experimentally break the temporal Fourier-transform limit having a temporal feature which is approximately three times shorter than the duration of a transform-limited Gaussian pulse having a comparable bandwidth while maintaining $29.5\%$ visibility. Numerical simulations demonstrate the ability of such signals to achieve temporal super-resolution.