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arXiv:2607.18799

Quantum Sensing Beyond Exceptional Points via Hidden symmetry-protected vacuum-noise fixed point

Wencong Wang, Yuyang Liang, Peng Han, Xianqiu Wu, Dongmei Liu, Min Gu

quant-phSubmitted Jul 21, 2026• Announced Jul 22, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Exceptional-point (EP) sensing has attracted considerable interest because of its anomalous response scaling. However, recent studies have shown that the enhanced response near an EP is inevitably accompanied by amplified quantum noise, fundamentally limiting the achievable signalto-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we propose a fundamentally different route toward non-Hermitian quantum sensing based on symmetry-protected noise suppression rather than response amplification. We develop a fully quantum continuous-variable model that unifies parity-time (PT) and anti-paritytime(APT) symmetries within a single framework. Exploiting the incompatibility between these two symmetries, we uncover a non-Hermitian Dirac eigenspectrum and reveal a hidden symmetryprotected phase transition embedded in the Hamiltonian spectrum. Remarkably, this hidden phasetransition simultaneously constitutes a symmetry-protected vacuum-noise fixed point, where collective three-mode quadratures exhibit suppressed quantum fluctuations despite the absence of any anomalous spectral response. As a consequence, quantum sensing is enhanced through the suppression of excess quantum noise while maintaining a finite response sensitivity, establishing a sensing mechanism fundamentally different from conventional EP-based approaches. These results reveal an unexpected connection between hidden symmetry, quantum fluctuations, and non-Hermitian quantum metrology, and establish noise suppression as an alternative paradigm for non-Hermitian quantum sensing.

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Quantum Langevin noise makes the observation of quantum-optical parity-time (PT) symmetry in an open system with both gain and loss elusive. Here, we challenge this problem by exploiting twin beams produced from a nonlinear parametric process, one undergoing phase-sensitive linear quantum amplification (PSA) and the other engaging balanced loss merely. Unlike previous studies involving phase-insensitive linear quantum amplification (PIA), our PSA-loss scheme enables only one pair of quadratures to evolve PT-symmetrically with variances transiting from periodic oscillations to exponential growths when crossing an exceptional point (EP), while tailors the conjugate pair with PT-adjusted quadrature squeezing. We further investigate such asymmetric PT-quadrature squeezing for quantum sensing by evaluating the quantum Cramer–Rao bound with distinct features beyond existing protocols. The proposed quadrature PT sheds new light on continuous-variable based quantum information and technology.

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Exceptional-point (EP) sensing has attracted considerable interest because of its anomalous response scaling. However, recent studies have shown that the enhanced response near an EP is inevitably accompanied by amplified quantum noise, fundamentally limiting the achievable signalto-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we propose a fundamentally different route toward non-Hermitian quantum sensing based on symmetry-protected noise suppression rather than response amplification. We develop a fully quantum continuous-variable model that unifies parity-time (PT) and anti-paritytime(APT) symmetries within a single framework. Exploiting the incompatibility between these two symmetries, we uncover a non-Hermitian Dirac eigenspectrum and reveal a hidden symmetryprotected phase transition embedded in the Hamiltonian spectrum. Remarkably, this hidden phasetransition simultaneously constitutes a symmetry-protected vacuum-noise fixed point, where collective three-mode quadratures exhibit suppressed quantum fluctuations despite the absence of any anomalous spectral response. As a consequence, quantum sensing is enhanced through the suppression of excess quantum noise while maintaining a finite response sensitivity, establishing a sensing mechanism fundamentally different from conventional EP-based approaches. These results reveal an unexpected connection between hidden symmetry, quantum fluctuations, and non-Hermitian quantum metrology, and establish noise suppression as an alternative paradigm for non-Hermitian quantum sensing.
The emergence of parity-time (PT) symmetry has greatly enriched our study of symmetry-enabled non-Hermitian physics, but the realization of quantum PT symmetry faces an intrinsic issue of unavoidable symmetry-breaking Langevin noises. Here we construct a quantum pseudo-anti-PT (pseudo-APT) symmetry in a two-mode bosonic system without involving Langevin noises. We show that the spontaneous pseudo-APT symmetry breaking leads to an exceptional point, across which there is a transition between different types of quantum squeezing dynamics; i.e., the squeezing factor increases exponentially (oscillates periodically) with time in the pseudo-APT-symmetric (broken) region. Such dramatic changes of squeezing factors and quantum dynamics near the exceptional point are utilized for ultraprecision quantum sensing. These exotic quantum phenomena and sensing applications can be experimentally observed in two physical systems: spontaneous wave mixing nonlinear optics and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. Our Letter offers a physical platform for investigating exciting APT symmetry physics in the quantum realm, paving the way for exploring fundamental quantum non-Hermitian effects and their quantum technological applications.
Exceptional points (EPs) can induce strongly amplified responses to weak perturbations, but enhanced spectral sensitivity in conventional non-Hermitian systems does not necessarily translate into improved quantum-limited sensing because of the associated gain and loss noise. Here, we investigate a tunable EP sensing platform based on the intrinsic non-Hermitian Bogoliubov dynamics of a spin-orbit-angular-momentum-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate. Starting from a fully Hermitian microscopic Hamiltonian, we derive a Bogoliubov dynamical matrix that exhibits parity-time (PT) symmetry, with EPs tunable through the Raman coupling and interaction parameters. We identify multiple EPs and map their trajectories and associated stability landscapes, revealing strong quantum Fisher information enhancement when the EPs are approached from the PT-symmetric stable regime. We further find that the gap-opening rate around a second-order EP provides a useful relative indicator for comparing the sensing performance of EPs, while higher-order EPs are not necessarily accessible from the stable regime. Moreover, two second-order EPs can be tuned to overlap, allowing their sensing contributions to add and yielding a linear enhancement of the total quantum Fisher information. Finally, we show that a spin-density measurement can approach the quantum Fisher information limit, providing an experimentally accessible route to tunable EP-enhanced quantum sensing in Bose-Einstein condensates.
Abstract While gain-loss-coupled photonic platforms have achieved significant success in studying classical parity-time (PT) symmetry, they encounter challenges in demonstrating pure quantum effects due to incompatible operator transformations and Langevin noise. Here, we present compelling evidence that a non-Hermitian (NH) twin-beam system, undergoing phase-sensitive amplification and balanced loss, not only enables observing the usual eigenvalue-associated PT phase transition but also exhibits distinctive features absent in classical NH or traditional Hermitian quantum scenarios, encompassing quadrature PT symmetry, anomalous loss-induced quadrature squeezing, and classical-to-quantum (C2Q) transitions in noise fluctuations. Furthermore, our proposed bipartite open system promises optimal sensing for various quantum observable measurements, showcasing an improved signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity, constrained by quantum Cramér–Rao bound or Fisher information. These findings deepen the comprehension of authentic quantum optical PT symmetry involving both gain and loss, addressing contentious issues and illuminating new facets of the subject.
Open quantum systems can have exceptional points (EPs), degeneracies where both eigenvalues and eigenvectors coalesce. Recently, it has been proposed and demonstrated that EPs can enhance the performance of sensors in terms of amplification of a detected signal. However, typically amplification of signals also increases the system noise, and it has not yet been shown that an EP sensor can have improved signal-to-noise performance. We develop a quantum noise theory to calculate the signal-to-noise performance of an EP sensor. We use the quantum Fisher information to extract a lower bound for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and show that parametrically improved SNR is possible. Finally, we construct a specific experimental protocol for sensing using an EP amplifier near its lasing threshold and heterodyne signal detection that achieves the optimal scaling predicted by the Fisher bound. Our results can be generalized to higher order EPs for any bosonic non-Hermitian system with linear interactions.
Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians with complex eigenenergies are useful tools for describing the dynamics of open quantum systems. In particular, parity and time (PT) symmetric Hamiltonians have generated interest due to the emergence of exceptional-point degeneracies, where both eigenenergies and eigenvectors coalesce as the energy spectrum transitions from real to complex valued. Because of the abrupt spectral response near exceptional points, such systems have been proposed as candidates for precision quantum sensing. In this Letter, we emulate a passive PT dimer using a two-mode, non-Hermitian system of superconducting qubits comprising one high-coherence qubit coupled to an intentionally lossy qubit via a tunable coupler. The loss is introduced by strongly coupling the qubit to a continuum of photonic modes in an open waveguide environment. Using both pulsed and continuous-wave measurements, we characterize the system dynamics near the exceptional point. We observe a behavior broadly consistent with an ideal passive PT dimer with some corrections due to the tunable coupler element. We extract the complex eigenenergies associated with the two modes and calculate the sensitivity as a function of the coupling strength. Confirming theoretical predictions, we observe no sensitivity enhancement near the quantum exceptional point. This Letter elucidates the limitations of exceptional-point systems as candidates for quantum-enhanced sensing. We establish waveguide quantum electrodynamics as a versatile platform for exploring non-Hermitian quantum dynamics in superconducting circuits.
Quantum Langevin noise makes the observation of quantum-optical parity-time (PT) symmetry in an open system with both gain and loss elusive. Here, we challenge this problem by exploiting twin beams produced from a nonlinear parametric process, one undergoing phase-sensitive linear quantum amplification (PSA) and the other engaging balanced loss merely. Unlike previous studies involving phase-insensitive linear quantum amplification (PIA), our PSA-loss scheme enables only one pair of quadratures to evolve PT-symmetrically with variances transiting from periodic oscillations to exponential growths when crossing an exceptional point (EP), while tailors the conjugate pair with PT-adjusted quadrature squeezing. We further investigate such asymmetric PT-quadrature squeezing for quantum sensing by evaluating the quantum Cramer–Rao bound with distinct features beyond existing protocols. The proposed quadrature PT sheds new light on continuous-variable based quantum information and technology.