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arXiv:2107.13426 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

On the properties of the asymptotic incompatibility measure in multiparameter quantum estimation

Alessandro Candeloro, Matteo G. A. Paris, Marco G. Genoni

Published Nov 10, 2021• 31 citations

Abstract

Abstract We address the use of asymptotic incompatibility (AI) to assess the quantumness of a multiparameter quantum statistical model. AI is a recently introduced measure which quantifies the difference between the Holevo and the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) scalar bounds, and can be evaluated using only the SLD operators of the model. At first, we evaluate analytically the AI of the most general quantum statistical models involving two-level (qubit) and single-mode Gaussian continuous-variable quantum systems, and prove that AI is a simple monotonous function of the state purity. Then, we numerically investigate the same problem for qudits ( d -dimensional quantum systems, with 2 < d ⩽ 4), showing that, while in general AI is not in general a function of purity, we have enough numerical evidence to conclude that the maximum amount of AI is attainable only for quantum statistical models characterized by a purity larger than μ min = 1 / ( d − 1 ) . In addition, by parametrizing qudit states as thermal (Gibbs) states, numerical results suggest that, once the spectrum of the Hamiltonian is fixed, the AI measure is in one-to-one correspondence with the fictitious temperature parameter β characterizing the family of density operators. Finally, by studying in detail the definition and properties of the AI measure we find that: (i) given a quantum statistical model, one can readily identify the maximum number of asymptotically compatible parameters; (ii) the AI of a quantum statistical model bounds from above the AI of any sub-model that can be defined by fixing one or more of the original unknown parameters (or functions thereof), leading to possibly useful bounds on the AI of models involving noisy quantum dynamics.

DOI: 10.1088/1751-8121/ac331e

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Abstract We address the use of asymptotic incompatibility (AI) to assess the quantumness of a multiparameter quantum statistical model. AI is a recently introduced measure which quantifies the difference between the Holevo and the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) scalar bounds, and can be evaluated using only the SLD operators of the model. At first, we evaluate analytically the AI of the most general quantum statistical models involving two-level (qubit) and single-mode Gaussian continuous-variable quantum systems, and prove that AI is a simple monotonous function of the state purity. Then, we numerically investigate the same problem for qudits ( d -dimensional quantum systems, with 2 < d ⩽ 4), showing that, while in general AI is not in general a function of purity, we have enough numerical evidence to conclude that the maximum amount of AI is attainable only for quantum statistical models characterized by a purity larger than μ min = 1 / ( d − 1 ) . In addition, by parametrizing qudit states as thermal (Gibbs) states, numerical results suggest that, once the spectrum of the Hamiltonian is fixed, the AI measure is in one-to-one correspondence with the fictitious temperature parameter β characterizing the family of density operators. Finally, by studying in detail the definition and properties of the AI measure we find that: (i) given a quantum statistical model, one can readily identify the maximum number of asymptotically compatible parameters; (ii) the AI of a quantum statistical model bounds from above the AI of any sub-model that can be defined by fixing one or more of the original unknown parameters (or functions thereof), leading to possibly useful bounds on the AI of models involving noisy quantum dynamics.

The estimation of more than one parameter in quantum mechanics is a fundamental problem with relevant practical applications. In fact, the ultimate limits in the achievable estimation precision are ultimately linked with the non-commutativity of different observables, a peculiar property of quantum mechanics. We here consider several estimation problems for qubit systems and evaluate the corresponding quantumnessR, a measure that has been recently introduced in order to quantify how incompatible the parameters to be estimated are. In particular, R is an upper bound for the renormalized difference between the (asymptotically achievable) Holevo bound and the SLD Cramér-Rao bound (i.e., the matrix generalization of the single-parameter quantum Cramér-Rao bound). For all the estimation problems considered, we evaluate the quantumness R and, in order to better understand its usefulness in characterizing a multiparameter quantum statistical model, we compare it with the renormalized difference between the Holevo and the SLD-bound. Our results give evidence that R is a useful quantity to characterize multiparameter estimation problems, as for several quantum statistical model, it is equal to the difference between the bounds and, in general, their behavior qualitatively coincide. On the other hand, we also find evidence that, for certain quantum statistical models, the bound is not in tight, and thus R may overestimate the degree of quantum incompatibility between parameters.

The quantum Cramér-Rao bound constrains the precision of parameter estimation through the symmetric logarithmic derivative quantum Fisher information (SLD QFI). It is asymptotically achievable for regular single-parameter estimation models, but generally not in the multiparameter setting, where optimal measurements for different parameters may be incompatible. For multiparameter estimation, allowing collective measurements, the corresponding asymptotically achievable precision limit is the Holevo bound, whose standard formulation is an optimization over auxiliary Hermitian operators. We bridge this apparent difference in formulation by giving an exact characterization of the Holevo bound in terms of a family of QFIs interpolating between the SLD and right logarithmic derivative (RLD) QFIs. Specifically, for any locally identifiable finite-dimensional estimation problem, we prove that the operator-feasible region in the standard variational definition of the Holevo bound coincides with the intersection of the regions defined by the corresponding Cramér-Rao-type matrix constraints for the entire QFI family. This characterization also applies to rank-deficient states and does not require any prior choice of weight matrix. Consequently, the conventional weight-dependent Holevo bound is recovered by minimizing the corresponding weighted cost over the resulting common feasible region.

Multiparameter quantum estimation faces a fundamental challenge due to the inherent incompatibility of optimal measurements for different parameters, a direct consequence of quantum non-commutativity. This incompatibility is quantified by the gap between the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD) quantum Cramér-Rao bound, which is not always attainable, and the asymptotically achievable Holevo bound. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of this gap by introducing and contrasting two scalar measures. The first is the weight-independent quantumness measure

R

, which captures the intrinsic incompatibility of the estimation model. The second is a tighter, weight-dependent measure

T[W]

which explicitly incorporates the cost matrix

W

assigning relative importance to different parameters. We establish a hierarchy of bounds based on these two measures and derive necessary and sufficient conditions for their saturation. Through analytical and numerical studies of tunable qubit and qutrit models with SU(2) unitary encoding, we demonstrate that the weight-dependent bound

C_{T}[W]

often provides a significantly tighter approximation to the Holevo bound

C_{H}[W]

than the

R

-dependent bound, especially in higher-dimensional systems. We also develop an approach based on

C_{T}[W]

to compute the Holevo bound

C_{H}[W]

analytically. Our results highlight the critical role of the weight matrix's structure in determining the precision limits of multiparameter quantum metrology.

Abstract We study the role of probe dimension in determining the bounds of precision and the level of incompatibility in multi-parameter quantum estimation problems. In particular, we focus on the paradigmatic case of unitary encoding generated by su ( 2 ) and compare precision and incompatibility in the estimation of the same parameters across representations of different dimensions. For two- and three-parameter unitary models, we prove that if the dimension of the probe is smaller than the number of parameters, then simultaneous estimation is not possible (the quantum Fisher matrix is singular). If the dimension is equal to the number of parameters, estimation is possible but the model exhibits maximal (asymptotic) incompatibility. However, for larger dimensions, there is always a state for which the incompatibility vanishes, and the symmetric Cramér-Rao bound is achievable. We also critically examine the performance of the so-called asymptotic incompatibility (AI) in characterising the difference between the Holevo-Cramér-Rao bound and the Symmetric Logarithmic Derivative one, showing that the AI measure alone may fail to adequately quantify this gap. Assessing the determinant of the Quantum Fisher Information Matrix is crucial for a precise characterisation of the model’s nature. Nonetheless, the AI measure still plays a relevant role since it encapsulates the non-classicality of the model in one scalar quantity rather than in a matrix form (i.e. the Uhlmann curvature).

Abstract In this paper we introduce a measure of genuine quantum incompatibility in the estimation task of multiple parameters, that has a geometric character and is backed by a clear operational interpretation. This measure is then applied to some simple systems in order to track the effect of a local depolarizing noise on the incompatibility of the estimation task. A semidefinite program is described and used to numerically compute the figure of merit when the analytical tools are not sufficient, among these we include an upper bound computable from the symmetric logarithmic derivatives only. Finally we discuss how to obtain compatible models for a general unitary encoding on a finite-dimensional probe.

We present a comprehensive and pedagogical formulation of Bayesian multiparameter quantum estimation. Within this framework, we analyse the role of measurement incompatibility and establish its quantitative effect on attainable precision. We achieve this by deriving upper bounds based on the pretty good measurement -- a notion from hypothesis testing -- combined with the evaluation of the Nagaoka-Hayashi lower bound. In general, we prove that, as in the many-copy regime of local estimation theory, incompatibility can at most double the minimum loss relative to the idealised scenario in which individually optimal measurements are assumed jointly implementable. Therefore, in practical situations, the latter may provide a sufficient and computationally efficient benchmark without solving the full optimisation problem. Our results, which we illustrate through applications of discrete phase imaging, phase and dephasing estimation, and qubit sensing, provide analytical and numerical tools for assessing ultimate precision limits and the role of measurement incompatibility in Bayesian multiparameter quantum metrology, including an open-source package for all the bounds discussed here.