Interferometry as a binary decision problem

Abstract

Binary decision theory has been applied to the general interferometric problem. An optimal detection scheme - according to the Neyman-Pearson criterion - has been considered for different phase-enhanced states of the radiation field, and the corresponding bounds on the minimum detectable phase shift have been evaluated. A general bound on interferometric precision has been also obtained in terms of photon number fluctuations of the signal mode carrying the phase information.