Global Precision Bounds and Success-Probability Guarantees in Quantum Parameter Learning

Abstract

Quantum metrology offers the possibility of quantum enhancements of the precision of various sensing tasks. In this manuscript, we tackle two open problems in the theory of single-shot quantum parameter learning, going beyond the usual setting of local parameter estimation via repeated measurements. The first concerns the construction of global upper bounds on the learning precision. The second concerns rigorous guarantees on the success probability of parameter learning, namely, lower bounds on the probability of learning a parameter with a certain precision, given the constraints on the resources used for the quantum metrology task. We provide rigorous, practical, and global upper bounds and success-probability guarantees for quantum parameter learning. Most importantly, we establish a fidelity-based learning guarantee for generic mixed-state models that can be viewed as the achievability-side analogue of the quantum Cramer-Rao bound. Whereas the latter provides a no-go constraint, based on the local curvature of the fidelities, our bound uses only pairwise fidelities between parameter-encoded states to certify that a prescribed precision is attainable with a guaranteed success probability. We demonstrate the versatility of the new bounds in a Rabi-frequency-learning example involving a driven qubit coupled to a bosonic environment and a collective-spin Hamiltonian learning problem. Together, the new global bounds and success-probability guarantees allow us to rule out unattainable precision and to certify attainable precision beyond what is possible via standard Fisher-information analysis or binary hypothesis testing bounds. They also allow one to tractably characterize the performance of various learning schemes, without the overhead of an explicit simulation.