The discrepancy between quantum distinguishability in Hilbert space and classical distinguishability in probability space is expressed by the gap between the quantum and classical Fisher information matrices (QFIM and CFIM, respectively). This intrinsic quantum obstruction is generally not saturable and plays a central role in both fundamental insights and practical applications in modern quantum physics. Here, we develop a geometrical framework for this gap by introducing the notion of the semiclassical geometric tensor (SCGT). We relate this quantity to the quantum geometric tensor (QGT), whose real part equals the QFIM. We prove the matrix inequality between QGT and SCGT, which sharpens the standard inequality between QFIM and CFIM and provides novel multiparameter information bounds: the real part of the SCGT reproduces the CFIM plus an additional nonnegative contribution capturing quantum obstruction. This further motivates a natural extension of the Berry phase to the semiclassical setting.
The discrepancy between quantum distinguishability in Hilbert space and classical distinguishability in probability space is expressed by the gap between the quantum and classical Fisher information matrices (QFIM and CFIM, respectively). This intrinsic quantum obstruction is generally not saturable and plays a central role in both fundamental insights and practical applications in modern quantum physics. Here, we develop a geometrical framework for this gap by introducing the notion of the semiclassical geometric tensor (SCGT). We relate this quantity to the quantum geometric tensor (QGT), whose real part equals the QFIM. We prove the matrix inequality between QGT and SCGT, which sharpens the standard inequality between QFIM and CFIM and provides novel multiparameter information bounds: the real part of the SCGT reproduces the CFIM plus an additional nonnegative contribution capturing quantum obstruction. This further motivates a natural extension of the Berry phase to the semiclassical setting.
The gap between the classical and quantum Fisher information matrices (CFIM and QFIM) separates what is operationally accessible through measurements from what is intrinsic to a quantum state. In the multiparameter setting, this quantum obstruction is generically not saturable. Motivated by the recently introduced semiclassical geometric tensor (SCGT), we perform an explicit information-geometric study for a class of pure four-parameter single-qutrit states (FPSQSs). These states are probed by a one-parameter family of measurements that interpolates between an uninformative POVM and a sharp projective measurement. We derive closed-form expressions for the CFIM, the quantum geometric tensor (QGT), and the SCGT. We show that the SCGT reproduces the QGT in the projective limit and vanishes in the trivial limit. The real part of the SCGT splits into two terms: the CFIM and an additional nonnegative measurement-transmitted metric in the phase sector. Its imaginary part provides a semiclassical Berry curvature. Its loss relative to the QGT is quantified by a measurement-dependent gap. Our results provide an exactly solvable four-parameter platform for the semiclassical geometric framework. They also clarify how realistic measurements read out the geometric content of quantum states, and how they partially degrade it.
Abstract The quantum geometric tensor (QGT) is a fundamental quantity for characterizing the geometric properties of quantum states and plays an essential role in elucidating various physical phenomena. The traditional QGT, defined only for pure states, has limited applicability in realistic scenarios where mixed states are common. To address this limitation, we generalize the definition of the QGT to mixed states using the purification bundle and the covariant derivative. Notably, our proposed definition reduces to the traditional QGT when mixed states approach pure states. In our framework, the real and imaginary parts of this generalized QGT correspond to the Bures metric and the mean gauge curvature, respectively, endowing it with a broad range of potential applications. Additionally, using our proposed mixed-state QGT, we derive the geodesic equation applicable to mixed states. This work establishes a unified framework for the geometric analysis of both pure and mixed states, thereby deepening our understanding of the geometric properties of quantum states.
The quantum geometric tensor sets the local relation between variations of external parameters and distances between states in Hilbert space. Its real and imaginary parts are, respectively, the quantum Fisher information matrix, which determines the ultimate precision bound in parameter estimation, and the Berry curvature. We study the geometry of SU(1,1) Hamiltonian eigenstates and propose two dynamical methods for extracting the components of the SU(1,1) quantum geometric tensor. A time-separated quench method extracts both the real and imaginary parts of the quantum geometric tensor from transition probabilities following two sudden parameter changes separated by free evolution, while a weak resonant modulation method relates quasiparticle production to the same geometric tensor. These results provide an operational method for measuring the local geometry of single-mode squeezed states and, in particular, for extracting the quantum Fisher information matrix directly from experimental observables.
Mixed-state quantum geometry plays a fundamental role in quantum metrology, multiparameter estimation, and the characterization of quantum many-body systems. Yet, unlike its pure-state counterpart, accessing mixed-state geometry requires solving an ill-conditioned Lyapunov equation for the symmetric logarithmic derivative (SLD), posing a major challenge for resource-efficient quantum computation. Here we address the challenge and develop a novel quantum algorithmic framework for efficiently accessing the quantum Fisher information matrix (QFIM) and quantum geometric tensor (QGT) of mixed states. Our key insight is to uncover a previously unexplored connection between the positive semidefinite structure of density matrices and exponentially convergent Gauss-Laguerre quadrature, enabling an efficient integral-based construction of the SLD. A rigorous complexity analysis further establishes the resource efficiency of our algorithm, demonstrating logarithmic precision dependence and double-logarithmic ancillary-qubit overhead at fixed conditioning. Building on this construction, we achieve near-Heisenberg precision scaling for diagonal QFI estimation without quantum phase estimation and construct unified block encodings of the full QFIM and QGT under a bounded spectral-gap assumption. A complementary regularized algorithm extends efficient diagonal estimation to exponentially small spectral gaps under a bounded-response condition. Our results establish a resource-efficient route to coherent mixed-state quantum geometry, enabling its direct integration into quantum linear-algebra algorithms without classical reconstruction and opening new possibilities for quantum-enhanced multiparameter metrology.
Quantum Fisher information matrices (QFIMs) are fundamental to estimation theory: they encode the ultimate limit for the sensitivity with which a set of parameters can be estimated using a given probe. Since the limit invokes the inverse of a QFIM, an immediate question is what to do with singular QFIMs. Moreover, the QFIM may be discontinuous, forcing one away from the paradigm of regular statistical models. These questions of nonregular quantum statistical models are present in both single- and multiparameter estimation. Geometrically, singular QFIMs occur when the curvature of the metric vanishes in one or more directions in the space of probability distributions, while QFIMs have discontinuities when the density matrix has parameter-dependent rank. We present a nuanced discussion of how to deal with each of these scenarios, stressing the physical implications of singular QFIMs and the ensuing ramifications for quantum metrology.
The geometric properties of quantum states are crucial for understanding many physical phenomena in quantum mechanics, condensed matter physics, and optics. The central object describing these properties is the quantum geometric tensor, which unifies the Berry curvature and the quantum metric. In this work, we use the differential-geometric framework of vector bundles to analyze the properties of parameter-dependent quantum states and generalize the quantum geometric tensor to this setting. This construction is based on a general connection on a Hermitian vector bundle, which defines a notion of quantum state transport in parameter space, and a sub-bundle projector, which constrains the set of accessible quantum states. We show that the sub-bundle geometry is similar to that of submanifolds in Riemannian geometry and is described by generalized Gauss-Codazzi-Mainardi equations. This leads to a novel definition of the quantum geometric tensor that contains an additional curvature contribution. To illustrate our results, we describe the sub-bundle geometry arising in the semiclassical treatment of Dirac fields propagating in curved spacetime and show how the quantum geometric tensor, with its additional curvature contributions, is obtained in this case. As a concrete example, we consider Dirac fermions confined to a hyperbolic plane and demonstrate how spatial curvature influences the quantum geometry. This work sets the stage for further exploration of quantum systems in curved geometries, with applications in both high-energy physics and condensed matter systems.