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arXiv:2510.18864

Weight-dependent and weight-independent measures of quantum incompatibility in multiparameter estimation

Jiayu He, Gabriele Fazio, Matteo G. A. Paris

Published Oct 21, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

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.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2510.18864

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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 RRR, which captures the intrinsic incompatibility of the estimation model. The second is a tighter, weight-dependent measure T[W]T[W]T[W] which explicitly incorporates the cost matrix WWW 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 CT[W]C_{T}[W]CT​[W] often provides a significantly tighter approximation to the Holevo bound CH[W]C_{H}[W]CH​[W] than the RRR-dependent bound, especially in higher-dimensional systems. We also develop an approach based on CT[W]C_{T}[W]CT​[W] to compute the Holevo bound CH[W]C_{H}[W]CH​[W] analytically. Our results highlight the critical role of the weight matrix's structure in determining the precision limits of multiparameter quantum metrology.
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.
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.
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).
One key aspect of quantum metrology, measurement incompatibility, is evident only through the simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters. The symmetric logarithmic derivative Cramér-Rao bound (SLDCRB), gives the attainable precision, if the optimal measurements for estimating each individual parameter commute. When the optimal measurements do not commute, the SLDCRB is not necessarily attainable. In this regard, the Holevo Cramér-Rao bound (HCRB) plays a fundamental role, providing the ultimate attainable precisions when one allows simultaneous measurements on infinitely many copies of a quantum state. For practical purposes, the Nagaoka Cramér-Rao bound (NCRB) is more relevant, applying when restricted to measuring quantum states individually. The interplay between these three bounds dictates how rapidly the ultimate metrological precisions can be approached through collective measurements on finite copies of the probe state. We first consider two parameter estimation and prove that if the HCRB cannot be saturated with a single copy of the probe state, then it cannot be saturated for any finite number of copies of the probe state. With this, we show that it is impossible to saturate the HCRB for several physically motivated problems. For estimating any number of parameters, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the attainability of the SLDCRB with separable measurements. We further prove that if the SLDCRB cannot be reached with a single copy of the probe state, it cannot be reached with collective measurements on any finite number of copies of the probe state. These results together provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the attainability of the SLDCRB for any finite number of copies of the probe state. This solves a significant generalisation of one of the five problems recently highlighted by [P.Horodecki et al, Phys. Rev. X Quantum 3, 010101 (2022)].
Holevo bound plays an important role in quantum metrology as it sets the ultimate limit for multi-parameter estimations, which can be asymptotically achieved. Except for some trivial cases, the Holevo bound is implicitly defined and formulated with the help of weight matrices. Here we report the first instance of an intrinsic Holevo bound, namely, without any reference to weight matrices, in a nontrivial case. Specifically, we prove that the Holevo bound for estimating two parameters of a qubit is equivalent to the joint constraint imposed by two quantum Cramér–Rao bounds corresponding to symmetric and right logarithmic derivatives. This weightless form of Holevo bound enables us to determine the precise range of independent entries of the mean-square error matrix, i.e., two variances and one covariance that quantify the precisions of the estimation, as illustrated by different estimation models. Our result sheds some new light on the relations between the Holevo bound and quantum Cramér–Rao bounds. Possible generalizations are discussed.
The incompatibility of the measurements constrains the achievable precisions in multiparameter quantum estimation. Understanding the tradeoff induced by such incompatibility is a central topic in quantum metrology. Here we provide an approach to study the incompatibility under general ppp-local measurements, which are the measurements that can be performed collectively on at most ppp copies of quantum states. We demonstrate the power of the approach by presenting a hierarchy of analytical bounds on the tradeoff among the precisions of different parameters. These bounds lead to a necessary condition for the saturation of the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound under ppp-local measurements, which recovers the partial commutative condition at p=1p=1p=1 and the weak commutative condition at $p=\ensuremath{\infty}$. As a further demonstration of the power of the framework, we present another set of tradeoff relations with the right logarithmic operators.