Quantum Fisher information, as an intrinsic quantity for quantum states, is a central concept in quantum detection and estimation. When quantum measurements are performed on quantum states, classical probability distributions arise, which in turn lea
d to classical Fisher information. In this article, we exploit the classical Fisher information induced by quantum measurements, and reveal a rich hierarchical structure of such measurement-induced Fisher information. We establish a general framework for the distribution and transfer of the Fisher information. In particular, we illustrate three extremal distribution types of the Fisher information: the locally owned type, the locally inaccessible type, and the fully shared type. Furthermore, we indicate the significant role played by the distribution and flow of the Fisher information in some physical problems, e.g., the non-Markovianity of open quantum processes, the environment-assisted metrology, the cloning and broadcasting, etc.
We apply the influence-functional method of Feynman and Vernon to the study of a single-mode optical field that interacts with an environment at zero temperature. Using the coherent-state formalism of the path integral, we derive a generalized master
equation for the single-mode optical field. Our analysis explicitly shows how non-Markovian effects manifest in the exact decoherence dynamics for different environmental correlation time scales. Remarkably, when these are equal to or greater than the time scale for significant change in the system, the interplay between the backaction-induced coherent oscillation and the dissipative effect of the environment causes the non-Markovian effect to have a significant impact not only on the short-time behavior but also on the long-time steady-state behavior of the system.
