Exact signal correlators in continuous quantum measurements

Abstract

This article provides an exact formula for the signal n-point correlation functions of detectors continuously measuring an arbitrary quantum system, in the presence of detection imperfections. The derivation uses only continuous stochastic calculus techniques, but the final result is easily understood from a discrete picture of repeated interactions with qubits or from a parallel with continuous matrix product states. This result provides a crude yet efficient a way to estimate system parameters directly from experimental data, without requiring non-linear state reconstruction.