We theoretically present the quantum Cramér-Rao bounds (QCRB) of an SU(1,1) interferometer for Gaussian states input with and without the internal photonic losses. The phase shifts in the single arm and in the double arms are studied and the corresponding analytical expressions of quantum Fisher information with Gaussian input states are presented. Different from the traditional Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the QCRB of single arm case is slightly higher or lower than that of double arms case depending on the input states. With a fixed mean photon number and for pure Gaussian state input, the optimal sensitivity is achieved with a squeezed vacuum input in one mode and the vacuum input in the other. We compare the QCRB with the standard quantum limit and Heisenberg limit. In the case of small internal losses the QCRB can beat the standard quantum limit.
We theoretically present the quantum Cramér-Rao bounds (QCRB) of an SU(1,1) interferometer for Gaussian states input with and without the internal photonic losses. The phase shifts in the single arm and in the double arms are studied and the corresponding analytical expressions of quantum Fisher information with Gaussian input states are presented. Different from the traditional Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the QCRB of single arm case is slightly higher or lower than that of double arms case depending on the input states. With a fixed mean photon number and for pure Gaussian state input, the optimal sensitivity is achieved with a squeezed vacuum input in one mode and the vacuum input in the other. We compare the QCRB with the standard quantum limit and Heisenberg limit. In the case of small internal losses the QCRB can beat the standard quantum limit.
We theoretically study the phase estimation based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with a two-mode squeezed coherent state. By maximizing the quantum Fisher information, we find that the quantum Cramér-Rao bounds (QCRB) can reach sub-Heisenberg limit under the phase-matched condition. The optimal phase sensitivity can reach the sub-shot noise limit (SNL) and approach the QCRB by employing the intensity difference detection. Meanwhile, compared with the MZI fed with a coherent plus a single-mode squeezed vacuum state, this scheme can have better performance by adjusting the squeezing parameter and the mean photon number. With the same parameter, our scheme shows more sensitive phase measurement than the SU(1,1) interferometer with a coherent plus a vacuum state. We also show that the phase sensitivity of our proposal can still reach the SNL when the loss of the photon is 36%. This scheme can provide potential applications in optical sensors.
We study the phase sensitivity of an SU(1,1) interferometer from two aspects, i.e., the phase estimation determined by the error propagation formula and that by the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB). The results show that the phase sensitivity by using the intensity detection reaches the sub-shot-noise limit with a coherent state and an m-photon-added squeezed vacuum state (m-PA-SVS) as inputs. The phase sensitivity gradually approaches the Heisenberg limit for increasing m, and the ultimate phase precision improves with the increase of m. In addition, the QCRB can be saturated by the intensity detection with inputting the m-PA-SVS.
Improving interferometric phase sensitivity is crucial for high-precision measurements in rapidly developing quantum technologies. The Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is a versatile tool for analyzing this phenomenon. By splitting and recombining a light beam using beam splitters, the MZI allows for precise phase sensitivity analysis using tools like the quantum Cramér–Rao bound (QCRB) and the quantum Fisher information (QFI). This paper analyzes the phase sensitivity of an MZI in various scenarios using different detection schemes and input states. We compare the single- and two-parameter quantum estimation and their associated QCRB for three phase-shift situations: in both arms; only in the upper arm (asymmetric); and in both arms symmetrically. We then investigate the phase sensitivity under three detection schemes: intensity difference; single-mode intensity; and balanced homodyne. Additionally, we explore the use of Perelomov and Barut–Girardello coherent states, two types of SU(1,1) coherent states, in all scenarios. Notably, we demonstrate that, under optimal conditions, all detection schemes can achieve the QCRB by utilizing SU(1,1) coherent states as input states.
Abstract We theoretically study the phase sensitivities of two different phase-shift configurations in an SU(1,1) interferometer with coherent ⊗ squeezed vacuum states. According to quantum Cramér-Rao theorem, we analytically obtain the ultimate phase sensitivities for two types of phase shift accumulating in one- and two-arm. Compared with the case of one-arm phase shift, the model with phase shift encoding in both arms may provide a better sensitivity when the strength of squeezed vacuum state is large enough. Furthermore, we discuss the achievable sensitivities with the homodyne measurement by invoking of error-propagation formula. In addition, we study the effect of internal and outernal photon losses on the phase sensitivity of the SU(1,1) interferometer and find that the unbalanced interferometer is helpful to improve precision even with high external losses .
Abstract The SU(1,1) interferometer, a nonlinear analog of the traditional Mach–Zehnder interferometer, has emerged as a powerful tool for achieving phase sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit. In this work, we propose the use of a superposition of even and odd coherent states as input state to enhance the phase sensitivity of an SU(1,1) interferometer. These non-classical states exhibit unique properties such as squeezing, entanglement, and quantum interference, which can be harnessed to improve metrological precision. Phase sensitivity is analyzed using single-intensity detection and homodyne detection schemes under both ideal and photon loss cases, which demonstrates significant improvements over classical and squeezed-vacuum inputs. In addition, we evaluate the quantum Cramér-Rao lower bound by employing the quantum Fisher information formalism, showing that it surpasses the standard quantum limit and approaches the Heisenberg limit under optimal conditions. Our results highlight the potential of the even and odd coherent states superposition in quantum metrology and provide a pathway for achieving ultra-precise phase measurements in SU(1,1) interferometers for applications in optical sensing, and quantum information processing.
ABSTRACT We enhance phase sensitivity in an SU(1,1) interferometer by combining a Kerr nonlinear phase shifter with multi‐photon addition. Using coherent and vacuum states as inputs, we analyze phase sensitivity and the quantum Fisher information under ideal and lossy conditions. We show that both phase sensitivity and the quantum Cramér‐Rao bound (QCRB) improve gradually as the total mean photon number increases. For the standard SU(1,1) interferometer, phase sensitivity does not saturate the QCRB, even with multi‐photon addition. In contrast, for the Kerr‐based SU(1,1) interferometer, phase sensitivity nearly saturates the QCRB under ideal conditions and remains optimal at high transmissivity under loss. The Kerr‐based scheme surpasses the standard quantum limit, approaches the sub‐Heisenberg limit, and exhibits enhanced robustness against moderate losses. Our scheme is feasible with current technology and provides a promising route for high‐precision quantum metrology.