Precision limits for time-dependent quantum metrology under Markovian noise
Abstract
We derive ultimate precision bounds for estimating parameters encoded in \emph{time-dependent} Hamiltonians in the presence of general Markovian noise, allowing for arbitrary adaptive protocols with fast controls and noiseless ancillas. Extending the minimization-over-purifications framework to time-varying continuous channels, we obtain a differential upper bound on the achievable quantum Fisher information (QFI) that can be evaluated at all times via semidefinite programming. For parameter-independent noise, we prove a universal long-time scaling law: if the coherent (noiseless) dynamics yields , then under Markovian noise the QFI scales at most as in the DHNLS regime, whereas in the DHLS regime it is fundamentally limited to . We illustrate these behaviors on paradigmatic driven-qubit sensors, exhibiting and scalings under dephasing and spontaneous emission, respectively. Finally, we provide explicit continuous exact and approximate quantum error correction constructions -- supplemented by spin-squeezed probes -- that asymptotically saturate the bounds, establishing their tightness.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2605.18392,
title = {Precision limits for time-dependent quantum metrology under Markovian noise},
author = {Luca Previdi and Francesco Albarelli},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.18392},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Preliminary version. Anyway comments are welcome!