Optimal Observables and Estimators for Practical Superresolution Imaging

Abstract

Recent works identified resolution limits for the distance between incoherent point sources. However, it remains unclear how to choose suitable observables and estimators to reach these limits in practical situations. Here, we show how estimators saturating the Cramér-Rao bound for the distance between two thermal point sources can be constructed using an optimally designed observable in the presence of practical imperfections, such as misalignment, cross talk, and detector noise.