Optical phase estimation via homodyne measurement in the presence of saturation effect of photodetectors

TL;DR

This paper extends the theory of optical phase estimation with homodyne detection to include detector saturation effects, providing analytic expressions and demonstrating improved estimation accuracy with realistic device parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized model for homodyne detection that accounts for nonlinear saturation effects, enhancing phase estimation accuracy in practical scenarios.

Findings

Analytic expressions for detector current and phase estimation precision.

Improved estimation accuracy when accounting for saturation effects.

Application to realistic device parameters showing practical benefits.

Abstract

For optical phase estimation via homodyne measurement, we generalize the theory from detector's linear to nonlinear response regime, which accounts for the presence of saturation effect. For optical coherent light, we carry out analytic expressions for detector's current and estimate precision. Using specific device parameters, we illustrate the improved estimation after accounting for the saturation effect.