Bounds on parameter estimation precision for optical ranging systems

摘要

Many errors contribute to the accuracy of a ranging system, among them calibration and estimation errors. In this paper we address the estimation error contribution of an optical ranging system. We present achievable RMS errors in estimating the phase, frequency, and intensity of a direct-detected intensity-modulated optical pulse train. For each parameter, the Cramèr-Rao-Bound (CRB) is derived and the performance of the Maximum Likelihood estimator is illustrated. Approximations to the CRBs are provided, enabling an intuitive understanding of estimator behavior as a function of the signaling parameters. The results are compared to achievable RMS errors in estimating the same parameters from a sinusoidal waveform in additive white Gaussian noise. This establishes a framework for a performance comparison of radio frequency (RF) and optical science. Comparisons are made using parameters for state-of-the-art deep-space RF and optical links. Degradations to the achievable errors due to clock phase noise and detector jitter are illustrated.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.