We address the characterization of dissipative bosonic channels and show that estimation of the loss rate by Gaussian probes (coherent or squeezed) is improved in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity. In particular, enhancement of precision may be substantial for short interaction time, i.e., for media of moderate size, e.g., biological samples. We analyze in detail the behavior of the quantum Fisher information (QFI), and determine the values of nonlinearity maximizing the QFI as a function of the interaction time and of the parameters of the input signal. We also discuss the precision achievable by photon counting and quadrature measurement and present additional results for truncated, few-photon, probe signals. Finally, we discuss the origin of the precision enhancement, showing that it cannot be linked quantitatively to the non-Gaussianity or the nonclassicality of the interacting probe signal.
We address the characterization of dissipative bosonic channels and show that estimation of the loss rate by Gaussian probes (coherent or squeezed) is improved in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity. In particular, enhancement of precision may be substantial for short interaction time, i.e., for media of moderate size, e.g., biological samples. We analyze in detail the behavior of the quantum Fisher information (QFI), and determine the values of nonlinearity maximizing the QFI as a function of the interaction time and of the parameters of the input signal. We also discuss the precision achievable by photon counting and quadrature measurement and present additional results for truncated, few-photon, probe signals. Finally, we discuss the origin of the precision enhancement, showing that it cannot be linked quantitatively to the non-Gaussianity or the nonclassicality of the interacting probe signal.
We address the precise characterization of coupling strength of nonlinear media in continuous-variable (CV) quantum systems using coherent and squeezed vacuum states as Gaussian probes, together with their photon-added and photon-subtracted counterparts as non-Gaussian probes. We consider three main classes of nonlinear Hamiltonians, namely quadrature nonlinearities, generalized squeezing and Kerr-type interactions. By analytically evaluating the quantum Fisher information (QFI), we compare the performance of Gaussian and non-Gaussian probes and assess the optimal probe based on the probe parameters, energy resource and non-Gaussianity. Our results are twofold as follows: first, for coherent-state family, the improvement provided by photon addition at fixed coherent amplitude originates mainly from the extra energy carried by the probe and does not provide a genuine metrological resource, since the same precision can be achieved by a Gaussian coherent-state signal of a larger energy, which can be more easily produced. Second, in contrast, photon addition and subtraction become effective resources when applied to already nonclassical states such as squeezed vacuum states. In this case, they lead to a significant enhancement of the QFI, particularly for higher-order interactions. Although Gaussian squeezed states remain optimal at equal energy constraint, photon-added and photon-subtracted squeezed states achieve comparable sensitives with significantly lower squeezing requirements. Since large squeezing level remains experimentally challenging, these non-Gaussian probes offer a practical route towards enhanced estimation of the nonlinear coupling strength within currently accessible squeezing regimes.
We address the characterization of lossy and dephasing channels in the presence of self-Kerr interaction using coherent probes. In particular, we investigate the ultimate bounds to precision in the joint estimation of loss and nonlinearity and of dephasing and nonlinearity. To this aim, we evaluate the quantum Fisher information matrix and compare the symmetric quantum Cramér–Rao bound to the bound obtained with Fisher information matrix of feasible quantum measurements, i.e., homodyne and double-homodyne detection. For lossy Kerr channels, our results show that the loss characterization is enhanced in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity, especially in the relevant limit of small losses and low input energy, whereas the estimation of nonlinearity itself is unavoidably degraded by the presence of loss. In the low energy regime, homodyne detection of a suitably optimized quadrature represents a nearly optimal measurement. The Uhlmann curvature does not vanish; therefore, loss and nonlinearity can be jointly estimated only with the addition of intrinsic quantum noise. For dephasing Kerr channels, the quantum Fisher information of the two parameters is independent of the nonlinearity, and therefore, no enhancement is observed. Homodyne detection and double-homodyne detection are suboptimal for the estimation of dephasing and nearly optimal for nonlinearity. Also in this case, the Uhlmann curvature is nonzero, proving that the parameters cannot be jointly estimated with maximum precision.
We address multiparameter quantum estimation for coherently driven nonlinear Kerr resonators in the presence of loss. In particular, we consider the realistic situation in which the parameters of interest are the loss rate and the nonlinear coupling, whereas the amplitude of the coherent driving is known and externally tunable. Our results show that this driven-dissipative model is asymptotically classical, i.e., the Uhlmann curvature vanishes, and the two parameters may be jointly estimated without any additional noise of quantum origin. We also find that the ultimate bound to precision, as quantified by the quantum Fisher information (QFI), increases with the interaction time and the driving amplitude for both parameters. Finally, we investigate the performance of quadrature detection, and show that for both parameters the Fisher information oscillates in time, repeatedly approaching the corresponding QFI.
Abstract The precision of quantum measurements can be effectively improved by using both photon-added non-Gaussian operations and Kerr nonlinear phase shift. Here, we employ a coherent state mixed with a photon-added squeezed vacuum state as the input to a Mach–Zehnder interferometer with parity detection, thereby achieving a significant enhancement in phase measurement precision. Our research focuses on the phase sensitivity of linear phase shift under both ideal conditions and photon loss, as well as quantum Fisher information (QFI). The results demonstrate that employing the photon addition operations can markedly enhance phase sensitivity and QFI, and under optimal conditions, the measurement precision can approach the Heisenberg limit for the linear phase shift case. In addition, we delve deeper into the scenario of replacing the linear phase shift with a Kerr nonlinear one and systematically analyze the QFI under both ideal and photon loss conditions. By comparison, it is evident that employing both the photon addition operations and the Kerr nonlinear phase shift can further significantly enhance phase measurement precision while effectively improving the system’s robustness against photon loss. These findings are instrumental in facilitating the development and practical application of quantum metrology.
We study the squeezing dynamics in a Kerr-nonlinear oscillator, and quantify the metrological usefulness of the resulting states. Even if the nonlinearity limits the attainable squeezing by making the evolution non-Gaussian, the states obtained still have a high quantum Fisher information for sensing displacements. However, contrary to the Gaussian case, the amplitude of the displacement cannot be estimated by simple quadrature measurements. Therefore, we propose the use of a measurement-after-interaction protocol where a linear quadrature measurement is preceded by an additional nonlinear evolution, and show the significant sensitivity enhancement that can be obtained. Our results are robust when considering realistic imperfections such as energy relaxation, and can be implemented in state-of-the-art experimental setups.
The fundamental metrological limits of temperature sensing in open quantum systems remain largely unresolved, particularly regarding the role of non-Gaussian quantum resources. In this letter, we establish analytic bounds on the quantum Fisher information (QFI) for temperature estimation using non-Gaussian states undergoing dissipative bosonic evolution. By focusing on the short-time regime governed by a time-local master equation, we derive precise scaling laws that elucidate when and how non-Gaussian probes decisively outperform Gaussian states under identical energy constraints. Our analysis uncovers a distinct linear-in-time QFI enhancement unique to Fock states, in contrast to the inherently weaker, quadratic scaling of Gaussian probes. These theoretical insights are substantiated through exact numerical simulations and mapped onto experimentally accessible platforms such as circuit QED. Our results not only clarify the quantum thermometric advantage of non-Gaussianity but also chart a realistic pathway toward harnessing it in noisy quantum technologies.