Quantum non-demolition measurement saturates fidelity trade-off

Abstract

A general quantum measurement on an unknown quantum state enables us to estimate what the state originally was. Simultaneously, the measurement has a destructive effect on a measured quantum state which is reflected by the decrease of the output fidelity. We show for any $d$-level system that quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement controlled by a suitably prepared ancilla is a measurement in which the decrease of the output fidelity is minimal. The ratio between the estimation fidelity and the output fidelity can be continuously controlled by the preparation of the ancilla. Different measurement strategies on the ancilla are also discussed. Finally, we propose a feasible scheme of such a measurement for atomic and optical 2-level systems based on basic controlled-NOT gate.