Quantum limit to subdiffraction incoherent optical imaging. II. A parametric-submodel approach

Abstract: In a previous paper [M. Tsang, Phys. Rev. A 99, 012305 (2019)], I proposed a quantum limit to the estimation of object moments in subdiffraction incoherent optical imaging. In this sequel, I prove the quantum limit rigorously by infinite-dimensional analysis. A key to the proof is the choice of an unfavorable parametric submodel to give a bound for the semiparametric problem. By generalizing the quantum limit for a larger class of moments, I also prove that the measurement method of spatial-mode demultiplexing (SPADE) with just one or two modes is able to achieve the quantum limit. For comparison, I derive a classical bound for direct imaging using the parametric-submodel approach, which suggests that direct imaging is substantially inferior.