Universal Sample Complexity Bounds in Quantum Learning Theory via Fisher Information Matrix

TL;DR

This paper establishes fundamental, task-independent bounds on the number of quantum samples needed for parameter estimation, linking sample complexity to the inverse Fisher information matrix, and applies these bounds to various quantum learning scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic framework connecting quantum learning sample complexity to Fisher information, providing streamlined derivations and insights into exponential complexity origins.

Findings

Sample complexity bounds are governed by the inverse Fisher information matrix.

Derived bounds apply to Pauli channel and expectation value learning.

Identified structural causes of exponential sample complexity in certain quantum tasks.

Abstract

In this work, we show that the sample complexity required in quantum learning theory within a general parametric framework, is fundamentally governed by the inverse Fisher information matrix. More specifically, we derive upper and lower bounds on the number of samples required to estimate the parameters of a quantum system within a prescribed small additive error, with high success probability under maximum likelihood estimation. The upper bound is governed by the supremum of the largest diagonal entry of the inverse Fisher information matrix, while the lower bound is characterized by any diagonal element evaluated at arbitrary parameter values. We then apply the general bounds to Pauli channel learning and to Pauli expectation values learning in the asymptotic small-error regime, and recover the previously established sample complexity through considerably streamlined derivations. Furthermore, we identify the structural origin of exponential sample complexity in Pauli channel learning without entanglement and in Pauli expectation values learning without quantum memory. We then extend the analysis to an error criterion based on the Euclidean distance between the true parameter values and their estimators. We derive the corresponding upper and lower bounds on the sample complexity, which are likewise characterized by the inverse Fisher information matrix. As an application, we consider Pauli channel learning with entangled probes. Finally, we highlight two fundamental contributions to quantum learning theory. First, we establish a systematic framework that determines the task-independent sample complexity under maximum-likelihood estimation. Second, we show that, in the small-error regime, the learning sample complexity is determined by the inverse Fisher information matrix, the central quantity in quantum metrology that determines the ultimate achievable mean squared error.