Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0812.0923 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Bayesian estimation of one-parameter qubit gates

Berihu Teklu, Stefano Olivares, Matteo G. A. Paris

Published Jan 21, 2009• 73 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We address estimation of one-parameter unitary gates for qubit systems and seek optimal probes and measurements. Single- and two-qubit probes are analysed in detail focusing on precision and stability of the estimation procedure. Bayesian inference is employed and compared with the ultimate quantum limits to precision, taking into account the biased nature of the Bayes estimator in the non-asymptotic regime. In addition, through the evaluation of the asymptotic a posteriori distribution for the gate parameter and a comparison with the results of Monte Carlo simulated experiments, we show that asymptotic optimality of the Bayes estimator is actually achieved after a limited number of runs. The robustness of the estimation procedure against fluctuations of the measurement settings is investigated and the use of entanglement to improve the overall stability of the estimation scheme is also analysed in some detail.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/42/3/035502

Related papers

Experimental estimation of one-parameter qubit gates in the presence of phase diffusion

Davide Brivio, S. Cialdi, Stefano Vezzoli +4 more

We address estimation of one-parameter qubit gates in the presence of phase diffusion. We evaluate the ultimate quantum limits to precision, seek optimal probes and measurements, and demonstrate an optimal estimation scheme for polarization encoded optical qubits. An adaptive method to achieve optimal estimation in any working regime is also analyzed in detail and experimentally implemented.

arXiv:0910.1910•Physical Review A•Jan 7, 2010•103 citations

Designing optimal protocols in Bayesian quantum parameter estimation with higher-order operations

Jessica Bavaresco, Patryk Lipka-Bartosik, Pavel Sekatski +1 more

Using quantum systems as sensors or probes has been shown to greatly improve the precision of parameter estimation by exploiting unique quantum features such as entanglement. A major task in quantum sensing is to design the optimal protocol, i.e., the most precise one. It has been solved for some specific instances of the problem, but in general even numerical methods are not known. Here, we focus on the single-shot Bayesian setting, where the goal is to find the optimal initial state of the probe (which can be entangled with an auxiliary system), the optimal measurement, and the optimal estimator function. We leverage the formalism of higher-order operations to develop a method based on semidefinite programming that finds a protocol that is close to the optimal one with arbitrary precision. Crucially, our method is not restricted to any specific quantum evolution, cost function, or prior distribution, and thus can be applied to any estimation problem. Moreover, it can be applied to both single-parameter or multiparameter estimation tasks. We demonstrate our method with three examples, consisting of unitary phase estimation, thermometry in a bosonic bath, and multiparameter estimation of an SU(2) transformation. Exploiting our methods, we extend several results from the literature. For example, in the thermometry case, we find the optimal protocol at any finite time and quantify the usefulness of entanglement. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

arXiv:2311.01513•Physical Review Research•Jun 20, 2024•18 citations

Bayesian stepwise estimation of qubit rotations

Mylenne Manrique, Marco Barbieri, Assunta Di Vizio +4 more

This work investigates Bayesian stepwise estimation (Se) for measuring the two parameters of a unitary qubit rotation. While asymptotic analysis predicts a precision advantage for SE over joint estimation (JE) in regimes where the quantum Fisher information matrix is near-singular ("sloppy" models), we demonstrate that this advantage is mitigated within a practical Bayesian framework with limited resources. We experimentally implement a SE protocol using polarisation qubits, achieving uncertainties close to the classical Van Trees bounds. However, comparing the total error to the ultimate quantum Van Trees bound for JE reveals that averaging over prior distributions erases the asymptotic SE advantage. Nevertheless, the stepwise strategy retains a significant practical benefit as it operates effectively with simple, fixed measurements, whereas saturating the JE bound typically requires complex, parameter-dependent operations.

quant-pharXiv:2512.04898•Dec 5, 2025•0 citations

Qubit Quantum Metrology with Limited Measurement Resources

Jason Saunders, Jean-François S. Van Huele

Quantum resources, such as entanglement, can decrease the uncertainty of a parameter-estimation procedure beyond what is classically possible. This phenomenon is well described for noiseless systems with asymptotically many measurement resources by the Quantum Cramer-Rao Bound, but no general description exists for the regime of limited measurement resources. We address this problem by defining a Bayesian quantifier for uncertainty suitable for the regime of limited resources, and by developing a mathematical description for a parameter-estimation procedure which uses qubit probes to estimate a rotation angle induced on them. We simulate the qubit estimation scheme in the regime of limited resources using a single class of probe states. We find that, in noiseless systems, entanglement between qubits always decreases the uncertainty of the estimation; however, the quantum advantage decreases as fewer qubits are used in the estimation. We also find that the presence of strong dephasing noise removes the quantum advantage completely, regardless of the number of qubit probes used.

arXiv:2108.02876•Aug 5, 2021•0 citations

Optimal control for Hamiltonian parameter estimation in non-commuting and bipartite quantum dynamics

Shushen Qin, M. Cramer, Christiane P. Koch +1 more

The ability to characterise a Hamiltonian with high precision is crucial for the implementation of quantum technologies. In addition to the well-developed approaches utilising optimal probe states and optimal measurements, the method of optimal control can be used to identify time-dependent pulses applied to the system to achieve higher precision in the estimation of Hamiltonian parameters, especially in the presence of noise. Here, we extend optimally controlled estimation schemes for single qubits to non-commuting dynamics as well as two interacting qubits, demonstrating improvements in terms of maximal precision, time-stability, as well as robustness over uncontrolled protocols.

arXiv:2205.02429•SciPost Physics•Dec 8, 2022•10 citations

Cartan quantum metrology

Gabriele Fazio, Jiayu He, Matteo G. A. Paris

We address the characterization of two-qubit gates, focusing on bounds to precision in the joint estimation of the three parameters that define their Cartan decomposition. We derive the optimal probe states that jointly maximize precision, minimize sloppiness, and eliminate quantum incompatibility. Additionally, we analyze the properties of the set of optimal probes and evaluate their robustness against noise.

arXiv:2502.08379•Physics Open•Mar 13, 2025•0 citations
We address estimation of one-parameter unitary gates for qubit systems and seek optimal probes and measurements. Single- and two-qubit probes are analysed in detail focusing on precision and stability of the estimation procedure. Bayesian inference is employed and compared with the ultimate quantum limits to precision, taking into account the biased nature of the Bayes estimator in the non-asymptotic regime. In addition, through the evaluation of the asymptotic a posteriori distribution for the gate parameter and a comparison with the results of Monte Carlo simulated experiments, we show that asymptotic optimality of the Bayes estimator is actually achieved after a limited number of runs. The robustness of the estimation procedure against fluctuations of the measurement settings is investigated and the use of entanglement to improve the overall stability of the estimation scheme is also analysed in some detail.
Using quantum systems as sensors or probes has been shown to greatly improve the precision of parameter estimation by exploiting unique quantum features such as entanglement. A major task in quantum sensing is to design the optimal protocol, i.e., the most precise one. It has been solved for some specific instances of the problem, but in general even numerical methods are not known. Here, we focus on the single-shot Bayesian setting, where the goal is to find the optimal initial state of the probe (which can be entangled with an auxiliary system), the optimal measurement, and the optimal estimator function. We leverage the formalism of higher-order operations to develop a method based on semidefinite programming that finds a protocol that is close to the optimal one with arbitrary precision. Crucially, our method is not restricted to any specific quantum evolution, cost function, or prior distribution, and thus can be applied to any estimation problem. Moreover, it can be applied to both single-parameter or multiparameter estimation tasks. We demonstrate our method with three examples, consisting of unitary phase estimation, thermometry in a bosonic bath, and multiparameter estimation of an SU(2) transformation. Exploiting our methods, we extend several results from the literature. For example, in the thermometry case, we find the optimal protocol at any finite time and quantify the usefulness of entanglement. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
This work investigates Bayesian stepwise estimation (Se) for measuring the two parameters of a unitary qubit rotation. While asymptotic analysis predicts a precision advantage for SE over joint estimation (JE) in regimes where the quantum Fisher information matrix is near-singular ("sloppy" models), we demonstrate that this advantage is mitigated within a practical Bayesian framework with limited resources. We experimentally implement a SE protocol using polarisation qubits, achieving uncertainties close to the classical Van Trees bounds. However, comparing the total error to the ultimate quantum Van Trees bound for JE reveals that averaging over prior distributions erases the asymptotic SE advantage. Nevertheless, the stepwise strategy retains a significant practical benefit as it operates effectively with simple, fixed measurements, whereas saturating the JE bound typically requires complex, parameter-dependent operations.
Quantum resources, such as entanglement, can decrease the uncertainty of a parameter-estimation procedure beyond what is classically possible. This phenomenon is well described for noiseless systems with asymptotically many measurement resources by the Quantum Cramer-Rao Bound, but no general description exists for the regime of limited measurement resources. We address this problem by defining a Bayesian quantifier for uncertainty suitable for the regime of limited resources, and by developing a mathematical description for a parameter-estimation procedure which uses qubit probes to estimate a rotation angle induced on them. We simulate the qubit estimation scheme in the regime of limited resources using a single class of probe states. We find that, in noiseless systems, entanglement between qubits always decreases the uncertainty of the estimation; however, the quantum advantage decreases as fewer qubits are used in the estimation. We also find that the presence of strong dephasing noise removes the quantum advantage completely, regardless of the number of qubit probes used.
The ability to characterise a Hamiltonian with high precision is crucial for the implementation of quantum technologies. In addition to the well-developed approaches utilising optimal probe states and optimal measurements, the method of optimal control can be used to identify time-dependent pulses applied to the system to achieve higher precision in the estimation of Hamiltonian parameters, especially in the presence of noise. Here, we extend optimally controlled estimation schemes for single qubits to non-commuting dynamics as well as two interacting qubits, demonstrating improvements in terms of maximal precision, time-stability, as well as robustness over uncontrolled protocols.