arXiv:1606.05369 · Physical Review A
Fisher information from stochastic quantum measurements
Matthias M. Müller, Stefano Gherardini, Augusto Smerzi, Filippo Caruso
Abstract
The unavoidable interaction between a quantum system and the external noisy environment can be mimicked by a sequence of stochastic measurements whose outcomes are neglected. Here we investigate how this stochasticity is reflected in the survival probability to find the system in a given Hilbert subspace at the end of the dynamical evolution. In particular, we analytically study the distinguishability of two different stochastic measurement sequences in terms of a Fisher information measure depending on the variation of a function, instead of a finite set of parameters. We find a characterization of Zeno phenomena as the physical result of the random observation of the quantum system, linked to the sensitivity of the survival probability to an arbitrary small perturbation of the measurement stochasticity. Finally, the implications on the Cram\'er-Rao bound and the Zeno time are discussed, together with a numerical example.