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arXiv:2607.04295

Optimal estimation of quantum boundary effect in cosmic string space-time

Yao Jin

quant-phSubmitted Jul 5, 2026• Announced Jul 7, 2026• 0 citations• Revised Sep 6, 2026 (v2)
v1 · Jul 5, 2026v2 · Sep 6, 2026v3 · Sep 21, 2026
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Abstract

The presence of a cosmic string modifies vacuum fluctuations, making the evolution of a two-level polarizable atom position dependent. Such modifications produce effects on the atomic dynamics analogous to those induced by a reflecting boundary. We show that these quantum boundary effects can be estimated by performing a sequence of $N$ measurements on a single probe atom. For a fixed total probe time, the precision limit is attained by preparing each probe in its optimal initial state, performing the corresponding optimal measurement, and shortening the probe time of each probe. The optimal measurement is uniquely determined by the probe's initial state, and the precision limit obtained with the atom initially in the excited state is four times higher than that for an equal-weight superposition state. The estimation precision displays damped oscillatory behavior as the atom-boundary or atom-string separation increases. While polarization parallel to the reflecting boundary is always optimal in the boundary case, the optimal polarization in cosmic-string space-time depends on both the atom-string separation and the deficit angle. For small deficit angles and sufficiently large separations, polarization along the cosmic-string direction becomes inferior to the other polarization directions.

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The presence of a cosmic string modifies vacuum fluctuations, making the evolution of a two-level polarizable atom position dependent. Such modifications produce effects on the atomic dynamics analogous to those induced by a reflecting boundary. We show that these quantum boundary effects can be estimated by performing a sequence of NNN measurements on a single probe atom. For a fixed total probe time, the precision limit is attained by preparing each probe in its optimal initial state, performing the corresponding optimal measurement, and shortening the probe time of each probe. The optimal measurement is uniquely determined by the probe's initial state, and the precision limit obtained with the atom initially in the excited state is four times higher than that for an equal-weight superposition state. The estimation precision displays damped oscillatory behavior as the atom-boundary or atom-string separation increases. While polarization parallel to the reflecting boundary is always optimal in the boundary case, the optimal polarization in cosmic-string space-time depends on both the atom-string separation and the deficit angle. For small deficit angles and sufficiently large separations, polarization along the cosmic-string direction becomes inferior to the other polarization directions.
Abstract The dynamics of the quantum Fisher information of the parameters of the initial atomic state and atomic transition frequency is studied, in the framework of open quantum systems, for a static polarizable two-level atom coupled in the multipolar scheme to a bath of fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic fields in cosmic string space-time. Our results show that with the presence of cosmic string, the quantum Fisher information becomes position and atomic polarization dependent. It may be enhanced or depressed as compared to that in flat space-time case. Remarkably, when the atom is extremely close to the cosmic string and the polarization direction of the atom is perpendicular to the direction of the cosmic string, the quantum Fisher information has been totally protected from the fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic fields. So on the one hand, near a cosmic string, precision of estimation can be enhanced by ranging the radial distance between the probe atom and the cosmic string; on the other hand, the cosmic string can be sensed by studying the distribution of parameter induced state-separation.
Abstract Quantum metrology studies the ultimate precision limit of physical quantities by using quantum strategy. In this paper we apply the quantum metrology technologies to the relativistic framework for estimating the deficit angle parameter of cosmic string spacetime. We use a two-level atom coupled to electromagnetic fields as the probe and derive its dynamical evolution by treating it as an open quantum system. We estimate the deficit angle parameter by calculating its quantum Fisher information(QFI). It is found that the quantum Fisher information depends on the deficit angle, evolution time, detector initial state, polarization direction, and its position. We then identify the optimal estimation strategies, i.e., maximize the quantum Fisher information via all the associated parameters, and therefore optimize the precision of estimation. Our results show that for different polarization cases the QFIs have different behaviors and different orders of magnitude, which may shed light on the exploration of cosmic string spacetime.
Abstract Since cosmic string spacetime is locally flat but with nontrivial global topology characterized by a deficit angle, we devote to address the quantum bound to the estimation of the deficit angle parameter by using a two-level atom as a detector which is coupled to a massless scalar field. We show that the initial excited state of the detector is the optimal state, and quantum precision always obtains the maximum value when the detector evolves for a limited time. We find that the sensitivity in the predictions for the deficit angle parameter decreases with the increase of . We also note that a uniform, rectilinear accelerated motion does not improve the estimation accuracy, so we obtain the inertial detector is better than the uniform, rectilinear accelerated detector. Therefore, we provide a possibility for detecting the nontrivial global topology in the spacetime.
We develop a quantum metrological framework for optimizing the probing of the Unruh effect using uniformly accelerated two-level atomic probes. The acceleration-dependent factor generated during the atom--field interaction is encoded in the atomic state and can be estimated through repeated quantum measurements. For a fixed total probe time, which characterizes the available measurement resource, we optimize the interrogation time of individual probes, the initial atomic state, and the corresponding measurement basis to minimize the estimation uncertainty. We show that the achievable precision is governed by the Fisher information accumulated per unit probe time. Under a fixed total probe time, shorter evolution times of individual probes allow for more sequential measurements, leading to a significant improvement in the estimation precision. The optimal initial state and measurement basis depend on both the acceleration factor and the probe evolution time. In particular, the excited state provides superior sensitivity in the weak-acceleration regime, whereas the ground state becomes advantageous for sufficiently large acceleration and long interaction times. Furthermore, we determine the minimum total probe time required to resolve the acceleration-dependent signal associated with the Unruh effect and demonstrate that this requirement can be substantially reduced by employing atomic systems with larger transition dipole moments. Our results establish an optimized quantum metrological strategy for probing acceleration-induced quantum effects and provide a systematic approach toward the experimental investigation of the Unruh effect.
Abstract We study the entanglement dynamics of two static atoms coupled with a bath of fluctuating scalar fields in vacuum in the cosmic string spacetime. Three different alignments of atoms, i.e. parallel, vertical, and symmetric alignments with respect to the cosmic string are considered. We focus on how entanglement degradation and generation are influenced by the cosmic string, and find that they are crucially dependent on the atom-string distance r, the interatomic separation L, and the parameter ν\nu ν ν that characterizes the nontrivial topology of the cosmic string. For two atoms initially in a maximally entangled state, the destroyed entanglement can be revived when the atoms are aligned vertically to the string, which cannot happen in the Minkowski spacetime. When the symmetrically aligned two-atom system is initially in the antisymmetric state, the lifetime of entanglement can be significantly enhanced as ν\nu ν ν increases. For two atoms which are initially in the excited state, when the interatomic separation is large compared to the transition wavelength, entanglement generation cannot happen in the Minkowski spacetime, while it can be achieved in the cosmic string spacetime when the position of the two atoms is appropriate with respect to the cosmic string and ν\nu ν ν is large enough.
The dynamics of the quantum Fisher information of the parameters of the initial atomic state and atomic transition frequency is studied, in the framework of open quantum systems, for a static polarizable two-level atom coupled in the multipolar scheme to a bath of fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic fields without and with the presence of a reflecting boundary. Our results show that in the case without a boundary, the electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations always cause the quantum Fisher information of the initial parameters and thus the precision limit of parameter estimation to decrease. Remarkably, however, with the presence of a boundary, the quantum Fisher information becomes position and atomic polarization dependent and, as a result, it may be enhanced as compared to that in the case without a boundary and may even be shielded from the influence of the vacuum fluctuations in certain circumstances as if it were a closed system.