arXiv subjects

Ujjwal Sen

Publications and source records attributed to Ujjwal Sen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Interference between lossy quantum evolutions activates information backflow

Quantum evolutions are often non-unitary and in such cases, they are frequently regarded as lossy. Such lossiness, however, does not necessarily persist throughout the evolution, and there can often be intermediate time-spans during which information ebbs in the environment to re-flood the system -- an event known as information backflow. This phenomenon serves as a well-established and sufficient indicator of non-Markovian behavior of open quantum dynamics. Nevertheless, not all non-Markovian dynamics exhibit such backflow. We find that when interference is allowed between two quantum evolutions that individually generate non-Markovianity and yet do not exhibit information backflow, it becomes possible to retrieve information from the environment. Furthermore, we show that this setup involving coherently-controlled quantum operation trajectories provides enhanced performance and is more robust compared to an alternate coherently-controlled arrangement of the quantum switch.

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arXiv2025

Auxiliary-assisted energy distillation from quantum batteries

We discuss the idea of extracting energy from a quantum battery, applying a projective measurement on an auxiliary system. The battery is initially connected to the auxiliary system and allowed to interact with it. After some time, we execute a measurement on the auxiliary system which probabilistically projects the setup to a particular state, and the corresponding state of the battery is the final state. We consider the sum of the product of the energy difference between the initial and final states of the battery with the probability of getting that final state, where the sum is taken over all the preferable outcomes, that is, the outcomes which reduce the energy of the battery. We define the maximum value of this quantity as the distillable energy, where the maximization is taken over the time of interaction and auxiliary state and measurement basis parameters. Restricting ourselves to a particular uncountable set of states, we find that distillable energy is always higher than the ergotropy of the battery, irrespective of the presence or absence of entanglement between battery and auxiliary. We also compare the distillable energy with the energy extracted using the interaction between the battery and the auxiliary, without any measurements. In comparison with the measurement-free scenario, we show that while measurement-based protocols do not provide any enhancement in the amount of extractable energy, they do yield a distinct advantage in terms of power, most notably in the case of distillable power, surpassing the power obtained without measurements.

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arXiv2025

Resource-resolved quantum fluctuation theorems in end-point measurement scheme

Fluctuation theorems provide universal constraints on nonequilibrium energy and entropy fluctuations, making them a natural framework to assess how and to what extent quantum resources become thermodynamically relevant. We develop a unified framework for incorporating a generic quantum resource, including athermality, quantum coherence, and entanglement, into fluctuation theorems. We work within the end point measurement scheme, which avoids an initial energy measurement and allows quantum resources in the initial state to affect nonequilibrium energy statistics. We derive a family of quantum fluctuation theorems, including generalized Jarzynski equalities and Crooks type fluctuation relations, in which corrections decompose into resource resolved contributions. For single systems, we introduce the concept of weight of athermality, and combine it with the weight of coherence to isolate distinct thermodynamic effects of these quantum resources. For bipartite systems, we furthermore obtain two families of entanglement-resolved fluctuation theorems using an appended correlation operator and the best separable approximation, respectively. Finally, we introduce the concepts of coherence and entanglement fluctuation distances, as Kullback Leibler divergences, which quantify the thermodynamic relevance of quantum resources in a process-dependent and operational manner.

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arXiv2025

Comparing physical quantities with finite-precision: beyond standard metrology and an illustration for cooling in quantum processes

We propose a general framework to compare the values of a physical quantity pertaining to two - or more - physical setups, in the finite-precision scenario. Such a situation requires us to compare between two "patches" on the real line instead of two numbers. Identification of extent of the patches is typically done via standard deviation, as obtained within usual quantum metrological considerations, but can not be always applied, especially for asymmetric error distributions. The extent can however be universally determined by utilizing the concept of percentiles of the probability distribution of the corresponding estimator. As an application, we introduce the concept of finite-precision cooling in a generic quantum system. We use this approach in the working of a three-qubit quantum refrigerator governed by Markovian dynamics, and demonstrate the occurrence of cooling within finite precision for both transient and steady-state regimes, across strong- and weak-coupling limits of the inter-qubit interaction.

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arXiv2025

Non-positive measurements aren't beneficial in quantum metrology for unitary encoding, but can be for open schemes

We investigate whether non-positive operator-valued measurements can be beneficial for quantum metrology. For unitary encoding, we show that non-positive measurements offer no advantage over positive ones. Going over to open encoding, we find, however, that non-positive measurements can be advantageous for certain cases, while it may mirror the unitary case - no advantage over positive measurements - for others. For arbitrary open-system encoding, we identify a sufficient condition under which positive measurements suffice to achieve the best precision, and more resource-intensive non-positive measurements offer no extra benefit.

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arXiv2025

Fundamental speed limits on entanglement dynamics of bipartite quantum systems

The speed limits on entanglement are defined as the maximal rate at which entanglement can be generated or degraded in a physical process. We derive the speed limits on entanglement, using the relative entropy of entanglement and trace-distance entanglement, for unitary as well as for arbitrary quantum dynamics, where we assume that the dynamics of the closest separable state can be approximately described by the closest separable dynamics of the actual dynamics of the system. For unitary dynamics of isolated bipartite systems which are described by pure states, the rate of entanglement production is bounded by the product of fluctuations of the system's driving Hamiltonian and the surprisal operator, with an additional term reflecting the time-dependent nature of the closest separable state. Removing restrictions on the purity of the input and on the unitarity of the evolution, the two terms in the bound get suitably altered. Furthermore, we find a lower bound on the time required to generate or degrade a certain amount of entanglement by arbitrary quantum dynamics. We demonstrate the tightness of our speed limits on entanglement by considering quantum processes of practical interest.

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arXiv2025

All multipartite entanglements are quantum coherences in locally distinguishable bases

We find that the m-separability and k-partite entanglement of a multipartite quantum system is correlated with quantum coherence of the same with respect to complete orthonormal bases, distinguishable under local operations and classical communication in certain partitions. In particular, we show that the geometric measure of m-inseparable entanglement of a multipartite quantum state is equal to the square of minimum fidelity-based quantum coherence of the state with respect to complete orthonormal bases, that are locally distinguishable in a partition into m-parties.

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arXiv2025

Optimal quantum precision in noise estimation: Is entanglement necessary?

We ask whether the optimal probe is entangled, and if so, what is its character and amount, for estimating the noise parameter of a large class of local quantum encoding processes that we refer to as vector encoding, examples of which include the local depolarizing and bit-flip channels. We first establish that vector encoding is invariably ``continuously commutative'' for optimal probes. We utilize this result to deal with the queries about entanglement in the optimal probe. We show that for estimating noise extent of the two-party arbitrary-dimensional local depolarizing channel, there is a descending staircase of optimal-probe entanglement for increasing depolarizing strength. For the multi-qubit case, the analysis again leads to a staircase, but which can now be monotonic or not, depending on the multiparty entanglement measure used. We also find that when sufficiently high depolarizing noise is to be estimated, fully product multiparty states are the only choice for being optimal probes. In many cases, for even moderately high depolarizing noise, fully product states are optimal. For two-qubit local bit-flip channels, the continuous commutativity of the channel and optimal probe implies that a product state suffices for obtaining the optimal precision.

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arXiv2025

Isocoherent Work Extraction from Quantum Batteries: Basis-Dependent Response

We identify a connection between quantum coherence and the maximum extractable work from a quantum battery, and to this end, we define the coherence-constrained maximal work (CCMW) as the highest amount of work extractable via coherence-preserving unitaries, optimized over all quantum states with fixed coherence in a given dimension. For qubit systems, we derive an analytical relation between the CCMW and the input coherence, defined with respect to an arbitrary fixed basis. Strikingly, we find that for fixed quantum coherence in the energy eigenbasis, the maximal extractable work decreases with increase of coherence. In contrast, when quantum coherence is with respect to a basis for which the Hamiltonian possesses off-diagonal elements, and has equal diagonal elements, the CCMW increases with the level of quantum coherence. We numerically observe that the basis-dependent response of the CCMW also persists in higher-dimensional quantum systems. Moreover, we show that even in higher dimensions one can derive closed-form relations between the CCMW and the input quantum coherence within certain numerically-assessed conclusions. We also comment on the structure of passive states in an isocoherent scenario, that is, states from which no energy can be extracted under coherence-preserving unitaries.

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arXiv2025

Nonlinearity-assisted advantage for open Dicke-quantum batteries

We analyze the performance of a quantum battery in terms of energy storage and energy extraction, assisted by nonlinearities in a Dicke quantum battery utilizing an open-system approach. In particular, we consider two types of nonlinearities in the system, viz. nonlinearity in the coupling between battery and the cavity, and the cavity itself comprising an anharmonic oscillator. In both these scenarios, the cavity is connected to an environment, and is driven by an external laser source. We derive the Markovian master equation for the dynamics of the combined cavity-battery system in presence of the environment. When the cavity is non-linearly coupled to a battery, we find an enhancement in the steady state ergotropy over the linearly-coupled case. We further see that the times at which steady state ergotopy is attained get decreased in the presence of nonlinear coupling. We additionally find a complementarity between the nonlinear interaction strength and the coherent-drive strength in the steady-state ergotropy values, i.e. the same ergotropy as that obtained using weak nonlinearity and strong coherent drive can be obtained utilizing an opposite order of their values. We also identify the nonlinear interaction where the cavity can be considered as a ``charger" and show an advantage of using the nonlinear coupling over linear ones. In case when the cavity is modeled as a multi-level transmon with an inherent anharmonicity, we find an advantage in maximum ergotropy values over the harmonic instance. Unlike the non-linearly coupled batteries, the ones mediated by an anharmonic cavity prove to be useful in the transient regime. We also determine values of the coherent drive for which the anharmonic battery is beneficial over the harmonic one at all timescales. Further, we observe a distinct region of the anharmonic strength and coherent drive where ergotropy values reach their maxima.

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arXiv2025

Role of phase of optimal probe in noncommutativity vs coherence in quantum multiparameter estimation

Quantum multiparameter estimation offers a framework for the simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters, pertaining to possibly noncommutating observables. While the optimal probe for estimating a single unitary phase is well understood - being a pure state that is an equal superposition of the eigenvectors of the encoding Hamiltonian corresponding to its maximum and minimum eigenvalues - the structure of optimal probes in the multiparameter setting remains more intricate. We investigate the simultaneous estimation of two phases, each encoded through arbitrary qubit Hamiltonians, using arbitrary weight matrices, and considering single-qubit probes. We also consider single-qutrit probes, for which the encoding Hamiltonians are chosen as SU(2) generators. We find that in both the qubit and qutrit scenarios, the optimal probe is a coherent superposition of the eigenstates corresponding to the largest and smallest eigenvalues of the total encoding Hamiltonian, with a fixed - and not arbitrary - relative phase. Remarkably, this optimal probe is independent of the specific choice of weight matrix, making it a universally optimal input state for the estimation of any pair of SU(2) parameters, which can be reparameterized to the phase estimation problem. Furthermore, we show that this probe also maximizes the determinant of the quantum Fisher information matrix, providing a handy tool for identifying the optimal probe state. We also examine the role of commutativity between the generators of the unitary encodings. Our results demonstrate that a high degree of commutativity degrades the achievable precision, rendering estimation infeasible in the extreme case. However, maximal noncommutativity does not necessarily yield optimal precision.

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arXiv2025

Unconditionally superposition-robust entangled state in all multiparty quantum systems

We investigate the inseparability of states generated by superposition of a multipartite pure entangled state with a product state. In particular, we identify specific multipartite entangled states that will always produce inseparability after superposition with an arbitrary completely product state. Thus, these entangled states are unconditionally superposition-robust, and we refer to this phenomenon as ``unconditional inseparability of superposition" in multipartite quantum systems. In this way, we complete the picture of unconditional inseparability of superposition which was introduced earlier for bipartite systems. We also characterize the superposition of a multipartite pure entangled state with a pure bi-separable state. However, the present analysis allows us to obtain a more general result, viz., there exists at least one pure entangled state in any multipartite Hilbert space such that its superposition with an arbitrary completely product state always yields an entangled state. On the other hand, for any bipartite pure entangled state, if at least one of the subsystems is a qubit, then it is always possible to find a suitable product state such that the superposition of the entangled state and the product state produces a product state. In this way, we find a feature of multipartite quantum systems which is in sharp contrast with that of bipartite ones. We then show how unconditional inseparability of superposition can be useful in exhibiting an indistinguishability property within the local unambiguous state discrimination problem.

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arXiv2025

Entanglement-Constrained Quantum Metrology: Rapid Low-Entanglement Gains, Tapered High-Level Growth

It is a specific type of quantum correlated state that achieves optimal precision in parameterestimation under unitary encoding. We consider the potential experimental limitation on probe entanglement, and find a relation between achievable precision and initial probe entanglement, in both bipartite and multipartite scenarios. For two-qubit probes, we analytically derive an exact relationship between the entanglement-constrained optimal quantum Fisher information and the limited initial entanglement, measured via both generalized geometric measure and entanglement entropy. We demonstrate that this fundamental relationship persists across the same range of the entanglement measures even when higher-dimensional bipartite probes are considered. Furthermore, we identify the specific states that realize maximum precision in these scenarios. Additionally, by considering the geometric measure of entanglement, we extend our approach to multiqubit probes. We find that in every case, the optimal quantum Fisher information exhibits a universal behavior:a steep increase in the low-entanglement regime, followed by a gradual and nearly-saturated improvement as the probe entanglement approaches values close to those required for achieving the Heisenberg limit.

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arXiv2025

Unbounded entanglement-sustaining sequential local quantum state discrimination

Two pure orthogonal quantum states can be perfectly distinguished by sequential local action of multiple pairs of parties. However, this process typically leads to the complete dissolution of entanglement in the states being discriminated. We propose a protocol that allows an arbitrary number of pairs of parties to distinguish between any two orthogonal, entangled, two-qubit pure states using local quantum operations and classical communication, with a success probability greater than that of random guessing, while ensuring that at each step, the individual ensemble states retain a finite amount of entanglement. Our protocol employs the minimum-error state discrimination approach. For demonstrating the retention of entanglement in the ensemble states at each step, we use logarithmic negativity as well as the concept of entanglement witnessing. For a large family of sets of the two states, the success probability of discrimination can be as close as required to unity, while sustaining a finite amount of entanglement in each step.

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arXiv2025

Quantum sensing of even- versus odd-body interactions

We analyze the scaling of quantum Fisher information with the number of system particles in the limit of large number of particles, as a function of the number of parties interacting with each other, for encoding Hamiltonians having arbitrary-body interactions. We find that estimation of coupling strength of such arbitrary-body encoding Hamiltonians provide a super-Heisenberg scaling that increases monotonically with an increase in the number of interacting particles, in the limit of large number of system particles. Moreover, we also find that the optimal probes corresponding to Hamiltonians that contain even-body interaction terms, may be entangled, but certainly not so in all bipartitions, and particularly, it is possible to attain optimal precision using asymmetric probes. Thereby we find a complementarity in the requirement of asymmetry and genuine entanglement in optimal probes for estimating strength of odd- and even-body interactions respectively. Additionally, we provide an upper bound on the number of parties up to which one can always obtain an asymmetric product state that gives the best metrological precision for even-body interactions. En route, we find the quantum Fisher information in closed form for two- and three-body interactions for arbitrary number of parties. We also provide an analysis of the case when the Hamiltonian contains local fields and up to k-body interaction terms, where the strength of interaction gradually decreases with an increase in the number of parties interacting with each other. Interestingly, we find a similar dichotomy in the nature of the optimal probe in this case as well. Further, we identify conditions on the local component of the Hamiltonian, for which this dichotomy is still shown to exist for two- and three-body encoding Hamiltonians with arbitrary local dimensions.

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arXiv2025

Fluctuation in energy extraction from quantum batteries: How open should the system be to control it?

We ask whether there exists a relation between controllability of the fluctuations in extractable energy of a quantum battery and (a) how open an arbitrary but fixed battery system is and (b) how large the battery is. We examine three classes of quantum processes for the energy extraction: unitary operations, completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) maps, and arbitrary quantum maps, including physically realizable non-CPTP maps. We show that all three process classes yield the same average extractable energy from a fixed quantum battery. Moreover, open systems are better at controlling fluctuations in fixed quantum batteries: while random unitary operations result in nonzero fluctuation in the extractable energy, the remaining two classes lead to vanishing fluctuations in extractable energy. Furthermore, when the auxiliary system used to implement the non-unitary physically realizable maps is restricted up to a dimension $n$, fluctuation in extractable energy scales as $1/n$ for CPTP maps, outperforming the $\ln{n}/n$ scaling observed for general quantum maps. Even within open dynamics, therefore, energy extraction via random CPTP maps exhibits greater resilience to fluctuation compared to processes based on arbitrary quantum maps. We subsequently obtain that fluctuations in extractable energy scale as the inverse of the battery's dimension for all three process classes. Unitary maps, therefore, perform - in the sense of as low fluctuation as possible - equally well as more resource-intensive open maps, provided we have access to large quantum batteries. The results underscore a fundamental trade-off between performance of a battery and the resource cost of implementing the extraction processes.

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arXiv2025

Dynamical Characterization of Quantum Coherence

Quantum coherence, rooted in the superposition principle of quantum mechanics, is a crucial quantum resource. Various measures, operational interpretations, and generalizations of quantum coherence have been proposed. In recent years, its role in quantum dynamics and technologies has attracted much attention. We introduce the concept of average quantum distance at a given time, and show that quantum coherence can be interpreted as the average evolution speed for arbitrary time-independent Hamiltonians. We extend the considerations to open quantum dynamics, where we find that quantum coherence can be used to bound the average evolution speed. Secondly, beyond this average setting, we show how quantum coherence and the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian together determine the instantaneous evolution speed in the general case, with the trade-off being the energy uncertainty. Finally, we use the strategy to analyze the charging and discharging in quantum batteries, demonstrating the potential of our method in quantum technologies. We believe that the results clarify the role quantum coherence in quantum dynamics, paving an alternate avenue, complementary to the existing ones, to understand the capacity of quantum resources in dynamical processes.

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arXiv2025

Precision in estimating independent local fields: attainable bound and indispensability of genuine multiparty entanglement

Estimation of local quantum fields is a crucial aspect of quantum metrology applications, and often also forms the test-bed to analyze the utility of quantum resources, like entanglement. However, so far, this has been analyzed using the same local field for all the probes, and so, although the encoding process utilizes a local Hamiltonian, there is an inherent "nonlocality" in the encoding process in the form of a common local field applied on all the probes. We show that estimation of even independent multiple field strengths of a local Hamiltonian, i.e., one formed by a sum of single-party terms, necessitates the utility of genuine multipartite entangled state as the input probe. The feature depends on the choice of the weight matrix considered, which is full-rank and contains non-vanishing off-diagonal terms. We obtain this result by providing a lower bound on the precision of multiparameter estimation, optimized over input probes, for an arbitrary positive semi-definite weight matrix. We show that there exists a weight matrix for which this bound is always attainable by the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state, chosen in a certain basis. Furthermore, we find the parametric form of the most general optimal state for three parties. We also show that no pure product state can achieve the lower bound. Finally, for an arbitrary weight matrix and an arbitrary multiparty local encoding Hamiltonian, we prove that using a probe that is in any mixed state provides a precision lower than that obtainable using pure states. To emphasize the importance of the weight matrix considered, we also prove that the choice of identity operator as the same - thereby ignoring the "off-diagonal" covariances in the precision matrix - does not require the use of genuine multiparty entanglement in input probes for attaining the best precision, and the optimal probe can be a pure product.

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