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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Resonators
Published on: May 21, 2016
Quantum-Enhanced Parameter Estimation in Multilevel Systems: Experimental Verification in a Superconducting Qutrit
Sai Li1,2, Yuan-Ke Zhu1, Wei-Xin Zhang1
1South China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Atomic and Subatomic Structure and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Structure and Fundamental Interactions of Matter, and School of Physics, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Abstract:
As a cornerstone of advanced quantum techniques, parameter estimation is fundamental to precision measurement in physics. Although quantum-enhanced estimation of single parameter has been demonstrated in various two-level systems, measurable parameters remain highly limited. While multilevel quantum systems are capable of measuring diverse parameters, achieving this under general quantum dynamics remains a daunting challenge. Here, we propose a versatile framework for parameter estimation in multilevel systems under general quantum dynamics. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate quantum-enhanced measurement of relative values between multiple parameters using a superconducting qutrit sensor. In our experiments, two resonant microwave drives with distinct phases and amplitudes are used to coherently encode parameters into the qutrit. We achieve quantum-enhanced measurement of the ratio of two Rabi frequencies, the phase sum, and the phase difference between the microwave fields, demonstrating precision approaching the Heisenberg limit. Our Letter advances the frontier of quantum metrology and offers new possibilities for high-precision, resource-efficient measurements, with broad applications across science and technology.

