IQIS Quantum Institute Seminar: Dominic Berry
- Date: 04/25/2012
- Time: 15:00
University of Calgary
Universality of the Heisenberg limit for estimates of random phase shifts
Abstract:
The Heisenberg limit traditionally provides a lower bound on
the phase uncertainty scaling as 1/N, where N is the mean number of
photons in the probe. However, this limit has a number of loopholes
which potentially might be exploited, to achieve measurements with even
greater accuracy. We have closed these loopholes by proving a completely
rigorous form of the Heisenberg limit for the average error over all
phase shifts. Our result gives the first completely general,
constraint-free and non-asymptotic statement of the Heisenberg limit. It
holds for all phase estimation schemes, including multiple passes,
nonlinear phase shifts, multimode probes, and arbitrary measurements.