Spectroscopy versus interferometry: Resolving small changes

Abstract

Some experiments are conveniently performed in the time domain, some in the frequency domain, and some use a hybrid approach. Does the domain make any difference in the ultimate resolution of the experiment? Or can the details of the experiment always be tweaked so that the different approaches give the same answer? We consider a simple optics experiment and consider both time and frequency measurements and take into account the influence of noise, finite dynamic range, attenuation, and the duration of the measurement.