Adaptive estimation of time-varying phase via weak value amplification

Abstract

The real-time estimation of a time-varying phase is of great importance in several fields. In order to estimate a time-varying phase with high precision and sensitivity, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an adaptive phase estimation method via weak value amplification by splitting the light into sensing path and monitoring path. In the proposed method, the phase shift can be amplified, an adjustable sensitivity and linear dynamic range can be obtained through the insertion of the reference phase, and a full-range phase estimation could be realized via an appropriate adjustment strategy. Furthermore, detectors with a higher resolution could be selected to detect weak signal by the adjustment of attenuation. Potentially, the phase estimation precision of about 10−8 rad could be achieved with the available equipment.