Abstract:
An analysis is made of the process of measuring the parameters of a plane monochromatic light wave by mixing with a standard reference wave in a square-law photodetector. It is shown that the accuracy of measurements of the intensity, phase, frequency, and polarization of a plane light wave is consistent with the limitations derived from quantum field theory. In this case, fluctuations of the photocounts in the course of interaction between the photodetector and the reference wave are the physical cause of these limitations. It is established that, under threshold conditions, measurement of several parameters of a plane monochromatic light wave involves increasing its intensity in proportion to the number of parameters to be measured. An uncertainty relationship is found between the range of possible variation of the parameters to be measured and the dynamic range in which random errors predominate over systematic ones.
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