Heisenberg scaling in Gaussian quantum metrology

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that in Gaussian quantum metrology, the optimal precision for estimating small parameters scales inversely with the squared average particle number, achievable with non-classical states, and provides methods to compute quantum Fisher information.

Contribution

It offers a general method to compute quantum Fisher information for pure states and analyzes Heisenberg scaling in Gaussian quantum metrology.

Findings

Precision scales as 1/(average particle number)^2

Heisenberg scaling achievable with non-classical states

Quantifies effects of mode monitoring limitations

Abstract

We address the issue of precisely estimating small parameters encoded in a general linear transformation of the modes of a bosonic quantum field. Such Bogoliubov transformations frequently appear in the context of quantum optics. We provide a set of instructions for computing the quantum Fisher information for arbitrary pure initial states. We show that the maximally achievable precision of estimation is inversely proportional to the squared average particle number and that such Heisenberg scaling requires non-classical, but not necessarily entangled states. Our method further allows us to quantify losses in precision arising from being able to monitor only finitely many modes, for which we identify a lower bound.