Abstract
I propose a general quantum hypothesis testing theory that enables one to test hypotheses about any aspect of a physical system, including its dynamics, based on a series of observations. For example, the hypotheses can be about the presence of a weak classical signal continuously coupled to a quantum sensor, or about competing quantum or classical models of the dynamics of a system. This generalization makes the theory useful for quantum detection and experimental tests of quantum mechanics in general. In the case of continuous measurements, the theory is significantly simplified to produce compact formulas for the likelihood ratio, the central quantity in statistical hypothesis testing. The likelihood ratio can then be computed efficiently in many cases of interest. Two potential applications of the theory, namely, quantum detection of a classical stochastic waveform and test of harmonic-oscillator energy quantization, are discussed.
- Received 14 November 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.170502
© 2012 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Quantum Testing
Published 26 April 2012
Testing hypotheses about the validity of different dynamical models can now be done on a much wider range of quantum systems.
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