Quantum parameter estimation of non-Hermitian systems with optimal measurements

Abstract

Quantum parameter estimation with Hermitian systems has been applied in various fields, but there are relatively few results concerning non-Hermitian systems. Here, we study the quantum parameter estimation for general non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and derive an intuitive expression of quantum Fisher information (QFI) for pure states. Furthermore, we propose the condition for optimal measurements, which is applicable to both Hermitian and non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. To illustrate these results, we calculate and study the QFI of a specific $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, and give the optimal measurement. Surprisingly, we find some interesting properties of this $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Hamiltonian QFI, such as the mutations in QFI at EP. Moreover, we also compare the variance of estimation generated by the optimal measurement with the theoretical precision bound to verify the condition for optimal measurements we proposed.