  We present an experimental demonstration of the power of real-time feedback
in quantum metrology, confirming a theoretical prediction by Wiseman regarding
the superior performance of an adaptive homodyne technique for single-shot
measurement of optical phase. For phase measurements performed on weak coherent
states with no prior knowledge of the signal phase, we show that the variance
of adaptive homodyne estimation approaches closer to the fundamental quantum
uncertainty limit than any previously demonstrated technique. Our results
underscore the importance of real-time feedback for reaching quantum
performance limits in coherent telecommunication, precision measurement and
information processing.
