Bayesian quantum parameter estimation with Gaussian states and homodyne measurements in a dissipative environment

Abstract

The deterioration of precision caused by quantum decoherence in dissipative environments is a longstanding problem in the development of quantum metrology. Therefore, it is significant to effectively analyze the evolution of quantum systems under dissipative environments and quantitatively estimate the parameters given a certain probe. Here, we propose a continuous-variable (CV) quantum metrology scheme within the Bayesian paradigm to estimate phase shift, loss coefficient and temperature of a dissipative environment. Through numerical evaluation and concrete analysis, we investigate the achievable precision of Bayesian quantum parameter estimation with Gaussian states and homodyne measurements, and the influence of different parameters on the estimation process. More interestingly, the scheme can be applied in more practical scenarios where not enough measurements are obtained and the frequentist analysis is not well defined.