Compressed quantum metrology for the Ising Hamiltonian

Abstract

We show how quantum metrology protocols that seek to estimate the parameters of a Hamiltonian that exhibits a quantum phase transition can be efficiently simulated on an exponentially smaller quantum computer. Specifically, by exploiting the fact that the ground state of such a Hamiltonian changes drastically around its phase transition point, we construct a suitable observable from which one can estimate the relevant parameters of the Hamiltonian with Heisenberg scaling precision. We then show how, for the one-dimensional Ising Hamiltonian with transverse magnetic field acting on N spins, such a metrology protocol can be efficiently simulated on an exponentially smaller quantum computer while maintaining the same Heisenberg scaling, i.e., O(1/N^2) precision and derive the explicit circuit that accomplishes the simulation.