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Matteo G. A. Paris

Publications and source records attributed to Matteo G. A. Paris.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Generalized phase estimation in noisy quantum gates

We examine metrological scenarios where the parameter of interest is encoded onto a quantum state through the action of a noisy quantum gate and investigate the ultimate bound to precision by analyzing the behaviour of the Quantum Fisher Information (QFI). We focus on qubit gates and consider the possibility of employing successive applications of the gate. We go beyond the trivial case of unitary gates and characterize the robustness of the metrological procedure introducing noise in the performed quantum operation, looking at how this affects the QFI at different steps (gate applications). We model the dephasing and tilting noise affecting qubit rotations as classical fluctuations governed by a Von Mises-Fisher distribution. Compared to the noiseless case, in which the QFI grows quadratically with the number of steps, we observe a non monotonic behavior, and the appearance of a maximum in the QFI, which defines the ideal number of steps that should be performed in order to precisely characterize the action of the gate.

quant-ph↗

Critical metrology of minimally accessible anisotropic spin chains

We address quantum metrology in critical spin chains with anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, and show how local and quasi-local measurements may be exploited to characterize global properties of the systems. In particular, we evaluate the classical (magnetization) and quantum Fisher information of the relevant parameters for the density matrix of a single spin and that of a pair of spins ranging from nearest to sixth-nearest neighbors, to the limiting case of very distant spins. Our results allow us to elucidate the role of the different parameters and to individuate the optimal working regimes for the precise characterization of the system, also clarifying the effects of correlations on the estimation precision.

quant-ph↗

Optimizing topology for quantum probing with discrete-time quantum walks

Discrete-time quantum walk (DTQW) represents a convenient mathematical framework for describing the motion of a particle on a discrete set of positions when this motion is conditioned by the values of certain internal degrees of freedom, which are usually referred to as the {\em coin} of the particle. As such, and owing to the inherent dependence of the position distribution on the coin degrees of freedom, DTQWs naturally emerge as promising candidates for quantum metrology. In this paper, we explore the use of DTQWs as quantum probes in scenarios where the parameter of interest is encoded in the internal degree of freedom of the walker, and investigate the role of the topology of the walker's space on the attainable precision. In particular, we start considering the encoding of the parameter by rotations for a walker on the line, and evaluate the quantum Fisher information (QFI) and the position Fisher information (FI), explicitly determining the optimal initial state in position space that maximizes the QFI across all encoding schemes. This allows us to understand the role of interference in the position space and to introduce an optimal topology, which maximizes the QFI of the coin parameter and makes the position FI equal to the QFI.

quant-ph↗

Dimension matters: precision and incompatibility in multi-parameter quantum estimation models

We study the role of probe dimension in determining the bounds of precision and the level of incompatibility in multi-parameter quantum estimation problems. In particular, we focus on the paradigmatic case of unitary encoding generated by $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ and compare precision and incompatibility in the estimation of the same parameters across representations of different dimensions. For two- and three-parameter unitary models, we prove that if the dimension of the probe is smaller than the number of parameters, then simultaneous estimation is not possible (the quantum Fisher matrix is singular). If the dimension is equal to the number of parameters, estimation is possible but the model exhibits maximal (asymptotic) incompatibility. However, for larger dimensions, there is always a state for which the incompatibility vanishes, and the symmetric Cramér-Rao bound is achievable. We also critically examine the performance of the so-called asymptotic incompatibility (AI) in characterizing the difference between the Holevo-Cramér-Rao bound and the Symmetric Logarithmic Derivative (SLD) one, showing that the AI measure alone may fail to adequately quantify this gap. Assessing the determinant of the Quantum Fisher Information Matrix (QFIM) is crucial for a precise characterization of the model's nature. Nonetheless, the AI measure still plays a relevant role since it encapsulates the non-classicality of the model in one scalar quantity rather than in a matrix form (i.e., the Uhlmann curvature).

quant-ph↗

Multi-parameter quantum estimation of single- and two-mode pure Gaussian states

We discuss the ultimate precision bounds on the multiparameter estimation of single- and two-mode pure Gaussian states. By leveraging on previous approaches that focused on the estimation of a complex displacement only, we derive the Holevo Cramér-Rao bound (HCRB) for both displacement and squeezing parameter characterizing single and two-mode squeezed states. In the single-mode scenario, we obtain an analytical bound and find that it degrades monotonically as the squeezing increases. Furthermore, we prove that heterodyne detection is nearly optimal in the large squeezing limit, but in general the optimal measurement must include non-Gaussian resources. On the other hand, in the two-mode setting, the HCRB improves as the squeezing parameter grows and we show that it can be attained using double-homodyne detection.

quant-ph↗

Coin dimensionality as a resource in quantum metrology involving discrete-time quantum walks

We address metrological problems where the parameter of interest is encoded in the internal degree of freedom of a discrete-time quantum walker, and provide evidence that coin dimensionality is a potential resource to enhance precision. In particular, we consider estimation problems where the coin parameter governs rotations around a given axis and show that the corresponding quantum Fisher information (QFI) may increase with the dimension of the coin. We determine the optimal initial state of the walker to maximize the QFI and discuss whether, and to which extent, precision enhancement may be achieved by measuring only the position of the walker. Finally, we consider Grover-like encoding of the parameter and compare results with those obtained from rotation encoding.

quant-ph↗

Characterization of partially accessible anisotropic spin chains in the presence of anti-symmetric exchange

We address quantum characterization of anisotropic spin chains in the presence of antisymmetric exchange, and investigate whether the Hamiltonian parameters of the chain may be estimated with precision approaching the ultimate limit imposed by quantum mechanics. At variance with previous approaches, we focus on the information that may be extracted by measuring only two neighbouring spins rather than a global observable on the entire chain. We evaluate the Fisher information (FI) of a two-spin magnetization measure, and the corresponding quantum Fisher information (QFI), for all the relevant parameters, i.e. the spin coupling, the anisotropy, and the Dzyaloshinskii Moriya (DM) parameter. Our results show that the reduced system made of two neighbouring spins may be indeed exploited as a probe to characterize global properties of the entire system. In particular, we find that the ratio between the FI and the QFI is close to unit for a large range of the coupling values. The DM coupling is beneficial for coupling estimation, since it leads to the presence of additional bumps and peaks in the FI and QFI, which are not present in a model that neglects exchange interaction and may be exploited to increase the robustness of the overall estimation procedure. Finally, we address the multiparameter estimation problem, and show that the model is compatible but sloppy, i.e. both the Uhlmann curvature and the determinant of the QFI matrix vanish. Physically, this means that the state of the system actually depends only on a reduced numbers of combinations of parameters, and not on all of them separately.

quant-ph↗

Metrology of weak quantum perturbations

We consider quantum systems with a Hamiltonian containing a weak perturbation i.e. $\boldsymbol{H=H_0} + \boldsymbolλ \cdot \boldsymbol{\tilde{H}}$, $\boldsymbolλ= \{λ_1, λ_2,...\}$, $\boldsymbol{\tilde{H}}$ $= \{H_1, H_2,...\}$, $\left|\boldsymbolλ\right| \ll 1$, and address situations where $\boldsymbol{\tilde{H}}$ is known but the values of the couplings $\boldsymbolλ$ are unknown, and should be determined by performing measurements on the system. We consider two scenarios: in the first one we assume that measurements are performed on a given stationary state of the system, e.g., the ground state, whereas in the second one an initial state is prepared and then measured after evolution. In both cases, we look for the optimal measurements to estimate the couplings and evaluate the ultimate limits to precision. In particular, we derive general results for one and two couplings, and analyze in details some specific qubit models. Our results indicates that dynamical estimation schemes may provide enhanced precision upon a suitable choice of the initial preparation and the interaction time.

quant-ph↗

Local discrimination of orbital angular momentum in entangled states

We address the use of a calcite crystal-based local detector to the discrimination of orbital angular momentum of quantum radiation produced by parametric down conversion. We demonstrate that a discrimination can be obtained exploiting the introduction of a fine and controlled spatial shift between two replicas of the state in the crystals. We believe that this technology could be used for future development of long-distance quantum communication techniques, where information encoding is based on orbital angular momentum.

quant-ph↗

Enhanced quantum transport in chiral quantum walks

Quantum transport across discrete structures is a relevant topic of solid state physics and quantum information science, which can be suitably studied in the context of continuous-time quantum walks. The addition of phases degrees of freedom, leading to chiral quantum walks, can also account for directional transport on graphs with loops. We discuss criteria for quantum transport and study the enhancement that can be achieved with chiral quantum walks on chain-like graphs, exploring different topologies for the chain units and optimizing over the phases. We select three candidate structures with optimal performance and investigate their transport behaviour with Krylov reduction. While one of them can be reduced to a weighted line with minor couplings modulation, the other two are truly chiral quantum walks, with enhanced transport probability over long chain structures.

quant-ph↗

Quantum routing of information using chiral quantum walks

We address routing of classical and quantum information over quantum network, and show how to exploit chirality to achieve nearly optimal and robust transport. In particular, we prove how continuous time chiral quantum walks over a minimal graph may be used to model directional transfer and routing of information over a network. At first, we show how classical information, encoded onto an excitation localized at one vertex of a simple graph, may be sent to any other chosen location with nearly unit fidelity by tuning a single phase. Then, we prove that high-fidelity transport is also possible for coherent superpositions of states, i.e. for routing of quantum information. Furthermore, we show that by tuning the phase parameter one obtains universal quantum routing, i.e. indipendent on the input state. In our scheme, chirality is governed by a single phase, and the routing probability is robust against fluctuations of this parameter. Finally, we address characterization of quantum routers and show how to exploit the self energies of the graph to achieve high precision in estimating the phase parameter.

quant-ph↗

Swift chiral quantum walks

A continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) is sedentary if the return probability in the starting vertex is close to one at all times. Recent results imply that, when starting from a maximal degree vertex, the CTQW dynamics generated by the Laplacian and adjacency matrices are typically sedentary. In this paper, we show that the addition of appropriate complex phases to the edges of the graph, defining a chiral CTQW, can cure sedentarity and lead to swift chiral quantum walks of the adjacency type, which bring the returning probability to zero in the shortest time possible. We also provide a no-go theorem for swift chiral CTQWs of the Laplacian type. Our results provide one of the first, general characterization of tasks that can and cannot be achieved with chiral CTQWs.

quant-ph↗

Invasiveness of non-equilibrium quantum thermometry

One of the main advantages expected from using quantum probes as thermometers is non invasiveness, i.e., a negligible perturbation to the thermal sample. However, invasiveness is rarely investigated explicitly. Here, focusing on a pure-dephasing spin probe in a bosonic sample, we show that there is a non-trivial relation between the information on the temperature gained by a quantum probe and the heat absorbed by the sample due to the interaction. We show that optimizing over the probing time, i.e. considering a time-optimal probing scheme, also has the benefit of limiting the heat absorbed by the sample in each shot of the experiment. For such time-optimal protocols, we show that it is advantageous to have very strong probe-sample coupling, since in this regime the accuracy increases linearly with the coupling strength, while the amount of heat per shot saturates to a finite value. Since in pure-dephasing models the absorbed heat corresponds to the external work needed to couple and decouple the probe and the sample, our results also represent a first step towards the analysis of the thermodynamic and energetic cost of quantum thermometry.

quant-ph↗

Gravitational time dilation as a resource in quantum sensing

Atomic clock interferometers are a valuable tool to test the interface between quantum theory and gravity, in particular via the measurement of gravitational time dilation in the quantum regime. Here, we investigate whether gravitational time dilation may be also used as a resource in quantum information theory. In particular, we show that for a freely falling interferometer and for a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the gravitational time dilation may enhance the precision in estimating the gravitational acceleration for long interferometric times. To this aim, the interferometric measurements should be performed on both the path and the clock degrees of freedom.

quant-ph↗

A monolithic interferometer for high-sensitive strictly-local detection of orbital angular momentum states of light

We propose an innovative monolithic interferometer to distinguish the topological charge of radiation carrying orbital angular momentum. Remarkably, our method requires to access only a small portion of the entire wavefront. The proposed scheme relies on a monolithic birefringent crystal, and as such it is intrinsically stable and does not require any feedback or thermal drift compensation. An experimental setup has been realized to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method down to the photon counting regime.

physics.optics↗

Quantum ensembles and the statistical operator: a tutorial

The main purpose of this tutorial is to elucidate in details what should be meant by ensemble of states in quantum mechanics, and to properly address the problem of discriminating, exactly or approximately, two different ensembles. To this aim, we review the notion and the definition of quantum ensemble as well as its relationships with the concept of statistical operator in quantum mechanics. We point out the implicit assumptions contained in introducing a correspondence between quantum ensembles and the corresponding single-particle statistical operator, and discuss some issues arising when these assumptions are not satisfied. We review some subtleties leading to apparent paradoxes, and illustrate the role of approximate quantum cloning. In particular, we review some examples of practical interest where different (but equivalent) preparations of a quantum system, i.e. different ensembles corresponding to the same single-particle statistical operator, may be successfully discriminated exploiting multiparticle correlations, or some a priori knowledge about the number of particles in the ensemble.

quant-ph↗

Joint quantum estimation of loss and nonlinearity in driven-dissipative Kerr resonators

We address multiparameter quantum estimation for coherently driven nonlinear Kerr resonators in the presence of loss. In particular, we consider the realistic situation in which the parameters of interest are the loss rate and the nonlinear coupling, whereas the amplitude of the coherent driving is known and externally tunable. Our results show that this driven-dissipative model is asymptotically classical, i.e. the Uhlmann curvature vanishes, and the two parameters may be jointly estimated without any additional noise of quantum origin. We also find that the ultimate bound to precision, as quantified by the quantum Fisher information (QFI), increases with the interaction time and the driving amplitude for both parameters. Finally, we investigate the performance of quadrature detection, and show that for both parameters the Fisher information oscillates in time, repeatedly approaching the corresponding QFI.

quant-ph↗

Feedback-assisted quantum search by continuous-time quantum walks

We address the quantum search of a target node on a cycle graph by means of a quantum walk assisted by continuous measurement and feedback. Unlike previous spatial search approaches, where the oracle is described as a projector on the target state, we instead consider a dynamical oracle implemented through a feedback Hamiltonian. In particular, our protocol is able to drive the walker to a desired target node. The idea is based on continuously monitoring the position of the quantum walker on the graph and then to apply a unitary feedback operation based on the information obtained from measurement. The feedback changes the couplings between the nodes and it is optimized at each time via a numerical procedure. We numerically simulate the stochastic trajectories describing the evolution for graphs of dimensions up to $N=15$, and quantify the performance of the protocol via the average fidelity between the state of the walker and the target node. We discuss different constraints on the control strategy, in particular on the possible values that the feedback couplings can take. We find that for unbounded controls, the protocol is able to quickly localize the walker on the target node. We then discuss how the performance is lowered by posing an upper bound on the control couplings, but still allowing to stabilize the walker in the desired node. Finally, we show how a digital feedback protocol, where the couplings can take values only from a discrete set, seems in general as efficient as the continuous bounded one.

quant-ph↗