Correlated Noise Estimation with Quantum Sensor Networks

We address the metrological problem of estimating collective stochastic properties imprinted on a network of quantum sensors. Canonical examples include center-of-mass quadrature fluctuations in a system of bosonic modes and correlated dephasing in an ensemble of qubits (e.g., spins), bosons, or fermions. We develop a theoretical framework to determine the limits of correlated (weak) noise estimation with quantum sensor networks and reveal the requirements for entanglement advantage. Notably, an advantage emerges from the synergistic interplay between quantum correlations of the sensors and ``classical’’ correlations of the noises. We determine optimal entangled probe states and identify a sensing protocol – reminiscent of a many-body echo – that achieves the fundamental limits of measurement sensitivity for a broad class of problems, unveiling a route towards entanglement-enhanced metrology of correlated many-body phenomena.

💡 Research Summary

The paper develops a comprehensive theoretical framework for estimating spatially correlated stochastic noise using quantum sensor networks (QSNs). The authors consider K quantum sensors, each coupled to a local Hermitian generator (\hat h_j). Random weak fluctuations (\lambda_j) with zero mean are modeled as multivariate Gaussian variables whose covariance matrix (V_{ij}=E