Exceptional precision of a nonlinear optical sensor at a square-root singularity

Abstract

Exceptional points (EPs) -- spectral singularities of non-Hermitian linear systems -- have recently attracted great interest for sensing. While initial proposals and experiments focused on enhanced sensitivities neglecting noise, subsequent studies revealed issues with EP sensors in noisy environments. Here we propose a single-mode Kerr-nonlinear resonator for exceptional sensing in noisy environments. Based on the resonator's dynamic hysteresis, we define a signal that displays a square-root singularity akin to an EP. In contrast to EP sensors, our sensor has a signal-to-noise ratio that increases with the measurement speed, and a precision enhanced at the square-root singularity. Remarkably, averaging the signal can quickly enhance and then degrade the precision. These unconventional features open up new opportunities for fast and precise sensing beyond the constraints of linear systems. While we focus on optical sensing, our approach can be extended to other hysteretic systems.

8 pages, including 1 page of supplemental material

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Experimental Simulation of Symmetry-Protected Higher-Order Exceptional Points with Single Photons
• Noise Constraints for Nonlinear Exceptional Point Sensing
• Fractal Nodal Band Structures
• Enhancement of signal-to-noise ratio at a high-order exceptional point of coherent perfect absorption
• Achieving the Quantum Fisher Information Bound in Pseudo-Hermitian Sensors
• Controlling quasi-parametric amplifications: From multiple PT-symmetry phase transitions to non-Hermitian sensing
• Exceptional points in perturbed dielectric spheres: A resonant-state expansion study
• Identifying Exceptional Points in Two-Dimensional Excitons Coupled to an Open Optical Cavity
• Cusp-singularity-enhanced Coriolis effect for ultrasensitive chip-scale gyroscopes
• Impact of noise on nonlinear-exceptional-point-based sensors