arXiv subjects

Francesco Albarelli

Publications and source records attributed to Francesco Albarelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Energetics in daemonic work extraction protocols via non-ideal QND-energy measurement

We address the problem of extracting work from a quantum system assisted by a quantum non-demolition (QND) energy measurement. When a perfect QND measurement can be performed and an auxiliary zero-temperature bath is available, the full energy of the quantum state can in principle be extracted even without any prior information on the input state. Owing to the presence of a zero-temperature bath, this is achieved at no energetic cost for the measurement process itself. On the contrary, here we consider what happens when the same protocol is implemented in non-ideal scenarios, specifically when the auxiliary bath has a finite temperature. In this case, not only is it impossible to extract the entire energy from the system, but the measurement strategy also acquires a non-zero energetic cost, accounting for both the interaction between system and measurement apparatus, and the corresponding Landauer erasure cost. We quantitatively assess the performance of these work-extraction protocols, both in absolute terms and through the so-called daemonic net gain, which explicitly includes the energetic cost of the measurement. We rigorously prove that, when access to a thermal bath is allowed in the extraction protocol, the daemonic net gain is always non-positive for any temperature of the auxiliary bath. Conversely, when only unitary operations are considered, the daemonic net gain can attain positive values. We further discuss these different figures of merit by analyzing a paradigmatic example for a single qubit system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Precision limits for time-dependent quantum metrology under Markovian noise

We derive ultimate precision bounds for estimating parameters encoded in \emph{time-dependent} Hamiltonians in the presence of general Markovian noise, allowing for arbitrary adaptive protocols with fast controls and noiseless ancillas. Extending the minimization-over-purifications framework to time-varying continuous channels, we obtain a differential upper bound on the achievable quantum Fisher information (QFI) that can be evaluated at all times via semidefinite programming. For parameter-independent noise, we prove a universal long-time scaling law: if the coherent (noiseless) dynamics yields $Q_{\mathrm{coh}}(T)\sim T^{2k}$, then under Markovian noise the QFI scales at most as $Q(T)\sim T^{2k}$ in the DHNLS regime, whereas in the DHLS regime it is fundamentally limited to $Q(T)\sim T^{2k-1}$. We illustrate these behaviors on paradigmatic driven-qubit sensors, exhibiting $T^{4}$ and $T^{3}$ scalings under dephasing and spontaneous emission, respectively. Finally, we provide explicit continuous exact and approximate quantum error correction constructions -- supplemented by spin-squeezed probes -- that asymptotically saturate the bounds, establishing their tightness.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Efficient evaluation of fundamental sensitivity limits and full counting statistics for continuously monitored Gaussian quantum systems

Generalized master equations (GMEs) -- time-local but generally neither trace-preserving nor Hermiticity-preserving -- are convenient tools to compute properties of the environment of an open or continuously monitored quantum system. A two-sided master equation yields the fidelity and quantum Fisher information (QFI) of environment states, thereby setting fundamental limits for hypothesis testing and parameter estimation under continuous monitoring. For unmonitored noise or inefficient detection, the QFI of the detectable part of the environment may be obtained from a recently derived GME acting on multiple system replicas. Tilted master equations provide the full counting statistics of quantum jumps and diffusive measurements, enabling, e.g., studies of quantum thermodynamics beyond average values. Here we focus on bosonic linear systems, governed by a quadratic Hamiltonian and linear jump operators, whose dynamics preserves Gaussianity. For Gaussian initial states, we recast a generic GME as a compact set of ordinary differential equations for the covariance matrix (a Riccati-type equation), first moments, and normalization. These equations can be integrated efficiently without Hilbert-space truncation, and admit analytical results in simple settings. We also provide specialized forms for fidelity/QFI and full counting statistics. We illustrate the formalism with a continuously monitored optical parametric oscillator, using it to determine sensitivity limits for frequency estimation and to benchmark Hasegawa's thermodynamic uncertainty relations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Pulsed single-photon spectroscopy of an emitter with vibrational coupling

We analytically derive the quantum state of a single-photon pulse scattered from a single quantum two-level emitter interacting with a vibrational bath. This solution for the quadripartite system enables an information-theoretic characterization of vibrational effects in quantum light spectroscopy. We show that vibration-induced dephasing reduces the quantum Fisher information (QFI) for estimating the emitter's linewidth, largely reflecting the Franck-Condon suppression of light-matter coupling. Comparing time- and frequency-resolved photodetection, we find the latter to be more informative in estimating the emitter's linewidth for stronger vibrational coupling.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Measurement incompatibility in Bayesian multiparameter quantum estimation

We present a comprehensive and pedagogical formulation of Bayesian multiparameter quantum estimation. Within this framework, we analyse the role of measurement incompatibility and establish its quantitative effect on attainable precision. We achieve this by deriving upper bounds based on the pretty good measurement -- a notion from hypothesis testing -- combined with the evaluation of the Nagaoka-Hayashi lower bound. In general, we prove that, as in the many-copy regime of local estimation theory, incompatibility can at most double the minimum loss relative to the idealised scenario in which individually optimal measurements are assumed jointly implementable. Therefore, in practical situations, the latter may provide a sufficient and computationally efficient benchmark without solving the full optimisation problem. Our results, which we illustrate through applications of discrete phase imaging, phase and dephasing estimation, and qubit sensing, provide analytical and numerical tools for assessing ultimate precision limits and the role of measurement incompatibility in Bayesian multiparameter quantum metrology, including an open-source package for all the bounds discussed here.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Statistical phase-space complexity of continuous-variable quantum channels

The statistical complexity of continuous-variable quantum states can be characterized with a quantifier defined in terms of information-theoretic quantities derived from the Husimi Q-function. In this work, we utilize this complexity quantifier of quantum states to study the complexity of single-mode bosonic quantum channels. We define the complexity of quantum channels as the maximal amount of complexity they can generate from an initial state with the minimal complexity. We illustrate this concept by evaluating the complexity of Gaussian channels and some examples of non-Gaussian channels.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Optimal quantum spectroscopy using single-photon pulses

We provide the ultimate precision attainable in spectroscopy of a quantum emitter using single-photon pulses. We find the maximum for estimating the linewidth to be independent of the details of the emitter's bare Hamiltonian while that for the detunings not to be so. We also identify optimal pulse shapes attaining these precisions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Attaining Quantum Sensing Enhancement from Monitored Dissipative Time Crystals

This study investigates quantum-enhanced parameter estimation through continuous monitoring in open quantum systems that exhibit a dissipative time crystal phase. We first analytically derive the global quantum Fisher information (QFI) rate for boundary time crystals (BTCs), demonstrating that within the time-crystal phase, the ultimate precision exhibits a cubic scaling with the system size, $f_{\mathrm{global}}\sim N^3$. We then generalize this finding to a broader class of dynamics, including the transverse collective dephasing (TCD) model, which achieves a time-crystal phase through a closing Liouvillian gap without requiring a dissipative phase transition. We proceed to numerically demonstrate that this maximal global QFI rate is experimentally attainable for both the BTC and TCD models, even at finite system sizes, via continuous homodyne and photodetection. Moving towards practical implementations, we analyze the precision limits under inefficient detection, revealing a critical difference: for BTC dynamics, inefficiencies asymptotically restore a classical scaling, and only a constant-factor quantum advantage remains possible. In contrast, for TCD dynamics, a super-classical scaling is still in principle observable, and our numerical simulations confirm its presence, even under inefficient measurement conditions, establishing the TCD model as a highly robust platform for quantum metrology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

OH molecule as a quantum probe to jointly estimate electric and magnetic fields

The hydroxyl radical, hereafter referred to as the OH molecule (OHM), carries both electric and magnetic dipole moments and, as a diatomic molecule, admits a comparatively simple and accurate model. This makes it a natural quantum probe for the joint estimation of electric and magnetic fields. Here we study simultaneous estimation of both fields using the tools of multiparameter quantum estimation theory, explicitly accounting for the performance loss caused by measurement incompatibility. We analyze and optimize both stationary and dynamical estimation strategies. In the stationary regime we consider ground and thermal states of the Stark-Zeeman Hamiltonian and identify optimal operating points. For thermal probes we find a nontrivial multiparameter effect: increasing the temperature can reduce the overall estimation error by weakening parameter correlations. In the dynamical regime we study both pure and thermal initial states, illustrating nontrivial manifestations of incompatibility for mixed probes. Finally, we show that an optimal sequential control protocol can overcome limitations due to noncommutativity, and we assess its robustness in the multiparameter setting.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantifying complexity of continuous-variable quantum states via Wehrl entropy and Fisher information

The notion of complexity of quantum states is quite different from uncertainty or information contents, and involves the tradeoff between its classical and quantum features. In this work, we we introduce a quantifier of complexity of continuous-variable states, e.g. quantum optical states, based on the Husimi quasiprobability distribution. This quantity is built upon two functions of the state: the Wehrl entropy, capturing the spread of the distribution, and the Fisher information with respect to location parameters, which captures the opposite behaviour, i.e. localization in phase space. We analyze the basic properties of the quantifier and illustrate its features by evaluating complexity of Gaussian states and some relevant non-Gaussian states. We further generalize the quantifier in terms of s-ordered phase-space distributions and illustrate its implications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Multiparameter quantum estimation with Gaussian states: efficiently evaluating Holevo, RLD and SLD Cram\'er-Rao bounds

Multiparameter quantum estimation theory is crucial for many applications involving infinite-dimensional Gaussian quantum systems, since they can describe many physical platforms, e.g., quantum optical and optomechanical systems and atomic ensembles. In the multiparameter setting, the most fundamental estimation error (quantified by the trace of the estimator covariance matrix) is given by the Holevo Cram\'er-Rao bound (HCRB), which takes into account the asymptotic detrimental impact of measurement incompatibility on the simultaneous estimation of parameters encoded in a quantum state. However, the difficulty of evaluating the HCRB for infinite-dimensional systems weakens the practicality of applying this tool in realistic scenarios. In this paper, we introduce an efficient numerical method to evaluate the HCRB for general Gaussian states, by solving a semidefinite program involving only the covariance matrix and first moment vector and their parametric derivatives. This approach follows similar techniques developed for finite-dimensional systems, and hinges on a phase-space evaluation of inner products between observables that are at most quadratic in the canonical bosonic operators. From this vantage point, we can also understand symmetric and right logarithmic derivative scalar Cram\'er-Rao bounds under the same common framework, showing how they can similarly be evaluated as semidefinite programs. To exemplify the relevance and applicability of this methodology, we consider two paradigmatic applications, where the parameter dependence appears both in the first moments and in the covariance matrix of Gaussian states: estimation of phase and loss, and estimation of squeezing and displacement.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

A tensor network approach to sensing quantum light-matter interactions

We present the fundamental limits to the precision of estimating parameters of a quantum matter system probed by light, even when some of the light is lost. This practically inevitable scenario leads to a tripartite quantum system of matter, and light -- detected and lost. Evaluating fundamental information theoretic quantities such as the quantum Fisher information of only the detected light was heretofore impossible. We succeed by expressing the final quantum state of the detected light as a matrix product operator. We apply our method to resonance fluorescence and pulsed spectroscopy. For both, we quantify the sub-optimality of continuous homodyning and photo-counting measurements in parameter estimation. For the latter, we find that single-photon Fock state pulses allow higher precision per photon than pulses of coherent states. Our method should be valuable in studies of quantum light-matter interactions, quantum light spectroscopy, quantum stochastic thermodynamics, and quantum clocks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Simultaneous optical phase and loss estimation revisited: measurement and probe incompatibility

Quantum multiparameter metrology is hindered by incompatibility issues, such as finding a single probe state (probe incompatibility) and a single measurement (measurement incompatibility) optimal for all parameters. The simultaneous estimation of phase shift and loss in a single optical mode is a paradigmatic multiparameter metrological problem in which such tradeoffs are present. We consider two settings: single-mode or two-mode probes (with a reference lossless mode), and for each setting we consider either Gaussian states or arbitrary quantum states of light restricted only by a maximal number of photons allowed. We find numerically that, as the number of photons increases, there are quantum states of light for which probe incompatibility disappears both in the single- and two-mode scenarios. On the other hand, for Gaussian states, probe incompatibility is present in the single-mode case and may be removed only in the two-mode setting thanks to the entanglement with the reference mode. Finally, we provide strong arguments that the fundamental incompatibility aspect of the model is measurement incompatibility, which persists for all the scenarios considered, and unlike probe-incompatibility cannot be overcome even in the large photon number limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Quantum illumination advantage in quantum Doppler radar

A Doppler radar is a device that employs the Doppler effect to estimate the radial velocity of a moving target at a distance. Traditional radars are based on a classical description of the electromagnetic radiation, but in principle their performance can be improved employing entangled quantum probe states. For target detection, i.e. hypothesis testing, a quantum advantage exists even in the high-noise regime appropriate to describe microwave fields, a protocol known as quantum illumination. In this paper, we show a similar advantage also for a quantum Doppler radar operating in presence of thermal noise, whereas so far a quantum advantage was shown in the noiseless scenario or in lidars operating at optical frequencies with negligible thermal noise. Concretely, we quantify the radar performance in terms of the quantum Fisher information, which captures the ultimate precision allowed by quantum mechanics in the asymptotic regime. We compare a classical protocol based on coherent states with a quantum one that uses multimode states obtained from spontaneous parametric downconversion. To ensure a fair comparison we match the signal energy and pulse duration. We show that a 3dB advantage is possible in the regime of small number of signal photons and high thermal noise, even for low transmissivity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Universal bounds for quantum metrology in the presence of correlated noise

We derive fundamental bounds for general quantum metrological models involving both temporal or spatial correlations (mathematically described by quantum combs), which may be effectively computed in the limit of a large number of probes or sensing channels involved. Although the bounds are not guaranteed to be tight in general, their tightness may be systematically increased by increasing numerical complexity of the procedure. Interestingly, this approach yields bounds tighter than the state of the art also for uncorrelated channels. We apply the bound to study the limits for the most general adaptive phase estimation models in the presence of temporally correlated dephasing. We consider dephasing both parallel (no Heisenberg scaling) and perpendicular (Heisenberg scaling possible) to the signal. In the former case our new bounds show that negative correlations are beneficial, for the latter we show evidence that the bounds are tight. We also apply the bounds to collisional thermometry, i.e. estimation of a parameter of the environment, showing evidence that entangled probes may provide only a limited advantage.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Interplay between time and energy in bosonic noisy quantum metrology

Quantum entanglement and coherence often allow for protocols that outperform classical ones in estimating a system's parameter. When using infinite-dimensional probes (such as a bosonic mode), one could in principle obtain infinite precision in a finite time for both classical and quantum protocols, which makes it hard to quantify potential quantum advantage. However, such a situation is unphysical, as it would require infinite resources, so one needs to impose some additional constraint: typically the average energy employed by the probe is finite. Here we treat both energy and time as a resource, showing that, in the presence of noise, there is a nontrivial interplay between the average energy and the time devoted to the estimation. Our results are valid for the most general metrological schemes (e.g. adaptive schemes which may involve entanglement with external ancillae or any kind of continuous measurement). We apply recently derived precision bounds for all parameters characterizing the paradigmatic case of a bosonic mode, subject to Lindbladian noise. We show how the time employed in the estimation should be partitioned in order to achieve the best possible precision. In most cases, the optimal performance may be obtained without the necessity of adaptivity or entanglement with ancilla. We compare results with classical strategies. Interestingly, for temperature estimation, applying a fast-prepare-and-measure protocol with Fock states provides better scaling with the number of photons than any classical strategy.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Pseudomode treatment of strong-coupling quantum thermodynamics

The treatment of quantum thermodynamic systems beyond weak coupling is of increasing relevance, yet extremely challenging. The evaluation of thermodynamic quantities in strong-coupling regimes requires a nonperturbative knowledge of the bath dynamics, which in turn relies on heavy numerical simulations. To tame these difficulties, considering thermal bosonic baths linearly coupled to the open system, we derive expressions for heat, work, and average system-bath interaction energy that only involve the autocorrelation function of the bath and two-time expectation values of system operators. We then exploit the pseudomode approach, which replaces the physical continuous bosonic bath with a small finite number of damped, possibly interacting, modes, to numerically evaluate these relevant thermodynamic quantities. We show in particular that this method allows for an efficient numerical evaluation of thermodynamic quantities in terms of one-time expectation values of the open system and the pseudomodes. We apply this framework to the investigation of two paradigmatic situations. In the first instance, we study the entropy production for a two-level system coupled to an ohmic bath, simulated via interacting pseudomodes, allowing for the presence of time-dependent driving. Secondly, we consider a quantum thermal machine composed of a two-level system interacting with two thermal baths at different temperatures, showing that an appropriate sinusoidal modulation of the coupling with the cold bath only is enough to obtain work extraction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

On the role of chirping in pulsed single photon spectroscopy

We investigate the precision of estimating the interaction strength between a two-level system (TLS) and a single-photon pulse when the latter is subject to chirping. We consider linear, quadratic, and sinusoidal temporal phases applied to Gaussian and exponential temporal profiles. At the asymptotic time, when the TLS has fully decayed to its ground state, the fundamental precision depends solely on the magnitude of its spectral amplitude. For quadratically phase-modulated Gaussian pulses, this is entirely determined by the spectral bandwidth. We provide expressions for evaluating the fundamental precision for general temporal profiles and phase modulations. Finally, we show that experimentally feasible mode-resolved measurements are optimal, or close to it, for chirped, pulsed single photon spectroscopy.

quant-ph↗