No Arabic abstract
Precise measurement is crucial to science and technology. However, the rule of nature imposes various restrictions on the precision that can be achieved depending on specific methods of measurement. In particular, quantum mechanics poses the ultimate limit on precision which can only be approached but never be violated. Depending on analytic techniques, these bounds may not be unique. Here, in view of prior information, we investigate systematically the precision bounds of the total mean-square error of vector parameter estimation which contains $d$ independent parameters. From quantum Ziv-Zakai error bounds, we derive two kinds of quantum metrological bounds for vector parameter estimation, both of which should be satisfied. By these bounds, we show that a constant advantage can be expected via simultaneous estimation strategy over the optimal individual estimation strategy, which solves a long-standing problem. A general framework for obtaining the lower bounds in a noisy system is also proposed.
We investigate the quantum Cramer-Rao bounds on the joint multiple-parameter estimation with the Gaussian state as a probe. We derive the explicit right logarithmic derivative and symmetric logarithmic derivative operators in such a situation. We compute the corresponding quantum Fisher information matrices, and find that they can be fully expressed in terms of the mean displacement and covariance matrix of the Gaussian state. Finally, we give some examples to show the utility of our analytical results.
We propose a novel approach to qubit thermometry using a quantum switch, that introduces an indefinite causal order in the probe-bath interaction, to significantly enhance the thermometric precision. The resulting qubit probe shows improved precision in both low and high temperature regimes when compared to optimal qubit probes studied previously. It even performs better than a Harmonic oscillator probe, in spite of having only two energy levels rather than an infinite number of energy levels as that in a harmonic oscillator. We thereby show unambiguously that quantum resources such as the quantum switch can significantly improve equilibrium thermometry. We also derive a new form of thermodynamic uncertainty relation that is tighter and depends on the energy gap of the probe. The present work may pave the way for using indefinite causal order as a metrological resource.
Fragile quantum features such as entanglement are employed to improve the precision of parameter estimation and as a consequence the quantum gain becomes vulnerable to noise. As an established tool to subdue noise, quantum error correction is unfortunately overprotective because the quantum enhancement can still be achieved even if the states are irrecoverably affected, provided that the quantum Fisher information, which sets the ultimate limit to the precision of metrological schemes, is preserved and attained. Here, we develop a theory of robust metrological schemes that preserve the quantum Fisher information instead of the quantum states themselves against noise. After deriving a minimal set of testable conditions on this kind of robustness, we construct a family of $2t+1$ qubits metrological schemes being immune to $t$-qubit errors after the signal sensing. In comparison at least five qubits are required for correcting arbitrary 1-qubit errors in standard quantum error correction.
The ubiquitous presence of shot noise sets a fundamental limit to the measurement precision in classical metrology. Recent advances in quantum devices and novel quantum algorithms utilizing interference effects are opening new routes for overcoming the detrimental noise tyranny. However, further progress is limited by the restricted capability of existing algorithms to account for the decoherence pervading experimental implementations. Here, adopting a systematic approach to the evaluation of effectiveness of metrological procedures, we devise the Linear Ascending Metrological Algorithm (LAMA), which offers a remarkable increase in precision in the demanding situation where a decohering quantum system is used to measure a continuously distributed variable. We introduce our protocol in the context of magnetic field measurements, assuming superconducting transmon devices as sensors operated in a qudit mode. Our findings demonstrate a quantum-metrological procedure capable of mitigating detrimental dephasing and relaxation effects.
Sensing and imaging are among the most important applications of quantum information science. To investigate their fundamental limits and the possibility of quantum enhancements, researchers have for decades relied on the quantum Cramer-Rao lower error bounds pioneered by Helstrom. Recent work, however, has called into question the tightness of those bounds for highly nonclassical states in the non-asymptotic regime, and better methods are now needed to assess the attainable quantum limits in reality. Here we propose a new class of quantum bounds called quantum Weiss-Weinstein bounds, which include Cramer-Rao-type inequalities as special cases but can also be significantly tighter to the attainable error. We demonstrate the superiority of our bounds through the derivation of a Heisenberg limit and phase-estimation examples.