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arXiv:2602.13026

Weighted graph states as a resource for quantum metrology

B. J. Alexander, Ş. K. Özdemir, M. S. Tame

quant-phSubmitted Feb 13, 2026• Announced Feb 16, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Quantum metrology exploits quantum mechanical effects to increase the precision of measurements of physical quantities. A wide variety of applications are currently being developed for scientific and technological purposes, however, most research relies on the use of highly entangled resource states that are challenging to generate and control in a given physical system. Here, we study the use of weighted graph states as more accessible resources for quantum metrology, which yield a favorable precision beyond the classical limit, approaching the Heisenberg limit. We find a notable robustness to variation in weights and less challenging weight requirements compared to standard graph states, which require a maximal weight at all edges. Both of these aspects reduce the practical demands in a physical setup, with the latter implying significantly less entanglement is required to gain a quantum advantage in metrology. We study the quantum Fisher information and optimized estimator variance of two identified sub classes of weighted graph states for an arbitrary number of N qubits, providing analytical forms and investigating their scaling. Our work opens up opportunities for using weakly entangled states in quantum-enhanced metrology.

Comments
15 pages, 12 figures, appendix

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Quantum metrology exploits quantum mechanical effects to increase the precision of measurements of physical quantities. A wide variety of applications are currently being developed for scientific and technological purposes, however, most research relies on the use of highly entangled resource states that are challenging to generate and control in a given physical system. Here, we study the use of weighted graph states as more accessible resources for quantum metrology, which yield a favorable precision beyond the classical limit, approaching the Heisenberg limit. We find a notable robustness to variation in weights and less challenging weight requirements compared to standard graph states, which require a maximal weight at all edges. Both of these aspects reduce the practical demands in a physical setup, with the latter implying significantly less entanglement is required to gain a quantum advantage in metrology. We study the quantum Fisher information and optimized estimator variance of two identified sub classes of weighted graph states for an arbitrary number of N qubits, providing analytical forms and investigating their scaling. Our work opens up opportunities for using weakly entangled states in quantum-enhanced metrology.
By using highly entangled states, quantum metrology guarantees a precision impossible with classical measurements. Unfortunately such states can be very susceptible to noise, and it is a great challenge of the field to maintain quantum advantage in realistic conditions. In this Letter we investigate the practicality of graph states for quantum metrology. Graph states are a natural resource for much of quantum information, and here we characterize their quantum Fisher information for an arbitrary graph state. We then construct families of graph states which approximately achieves the Heisenberg limit, we call these states bundled graph states. We demonstrate that bundled graph states maintain a quantum advantage after being subjected to independent and identically distributed dephasing or finite erasures. This shows that these graph states are good resources for robust quantum metrology. We also quantify the number of n qubit stabilizer states that are useful as a resource for quantum metrology.
Quantum metrology seeks to push the boundaries of measurement precision by harnessing quantum phenomena. Conventional methods often rely on maximally entangled resources, with states that are usually challenging to produce and sustain in practical setups. Here, we show that the maximally entangled constraint can be lifted by experimentally realizing a photonic two-qubit weighted graph state with an arbitrarily tunable graph weight. We use the generated state as a resource for quantum-enhanced phase sensing. We experimentally characterize the state and study its minimum estimator variance for two distinct local measurement bases as the graph weight varies from the maximally entangled to weakly entangled limit. We find excellent quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions, and observe a gain in precision beyond the classically attainable precision limit for graph weights substantially below the maximally entangled limit. This confirms that considerably less entanglement is required to achieve a quantum advantage. Albeit non-scalable in our test setup, this work represents the first experimental realization of weighted graph states with a tunable graph weight using linear optics. We expect more scalable versions of the model to be possible in an on-chip photonic platform.
Quantum correlations can be used to improve sensing precision beyond classical limits, yet the correlated resource states needed can be challenging to prepare and preserve. Here, we study the family of weighted hypergraph states and identify subclasses characterized by their underlying graph topology that exhibit enhanced metrological performance. Using the quantum Fisher information and a novel Dicke state basis representation, we show that these subclasses outperform both separable and standard weighted graph state benchmarks over broad ranges of edge weights corresponding to weak controlled operations between qubits representing the vertices of the graph. We provide analytical formulas for an arbitrary number NNN of qubits, supplemented by a general study, while focusing a detailed analysis on the example case of N=4N=4N=4. By identifying the critical probabilities for local dephasing, we show that adding higher-order weighted hyperedges for NNN qubits can enhance metrological robustness, allowing the resulting states to retain a quantum advantage at higher noise levels. These probe states exhibit favorable scaling, enhanced precision, and noise tolerance. Our findings establish weighted hypergraph states as viable, structurally tunable and robust resources for quantum-enhanced metrology.
Abstract Quantum technologies exploit entanglement to enhance various tasks beyond their classical limits including computation, communication and measurements. Quantum metrology aims to increase the precision of a measured quantity that is estimated in the presence of statistical errors using entangled quantum states. We present a novel approach for finding (near) optimal states for metrology in the presence of noise, using variational techniques as a tool for efficiently searching the high-dimensional space of quantum states, which would be classically intractable. We comprehensively explore systems consisting of up to 9 qubits and find new highly entangled states that are not symmetric under permutations and non-trivially outperform previously known states up to a constant factor 2. We consider a range of environmental noise models; while passive quantum states cannot achieve a fundamentally superior scaling (as established by prior asymptotic results) we do observe a significant absolute quantum advantage. We finally outline a possible experimental setup for variational quantum metrology which can be implemented in near-term hardware.
Entanglement is generally considered necessary for achieving the Heisenberg limit in quantum metrology. We construct analogues of Dicke and GHZ states on a single N+1N+1N+1 dimensional qudit that achieve precision equivalent to symmetrically entangled states on NNN qubits, showing that entanglement is not necessary for going beyond the standard quantum limit. We define a measure of non-classicality based on quantum Fisher information and estimate the achievable precision, suggesting a close relationship between non-classical states and metrological power of qudits. Our work offers an exponential reduction in the physical resources required for quantum-enhanced parameter estimation, making it accessible on any quantum system with a high-dimensional Hilbert space.
Quantum metrology typically uses entangled states to achieve measurement precisions beyond the standard quantum limit. The advantage increases with the size of the entangled state, however generating and preserving large entangled states remains a major experimental challenge. Multipass protocols offer an alternative approach by allowing a single probe to interact repeatedly with the parameter of interest, but their performance is highly susceptible to loss, which accumulates over successive passes and rapidly erodes the quantum advantage. Here we introduce a hybrid strategy that combines small, loss-resilient entangled states with multipass interferometry. We show that this approach retains the robustness of small entangled probes while exploiting repeated interactions to achieve substantial enhancements in measurement precision. Furthermore, we propose a concrete implementation using currently available technologies, demonstrating that the predicted performance gains should be experimentally accessible with existing capabilities.