Quantum metrology in a driven-dissipation down-conversion system beyond the parametric approximation

Abstract: We investigate quantum metrology in a degenerate down-conversion system composed of a pump mode and two degenerate signal modes. In the conventional parametric approximation, the pump mode is assumed to be constant, not a quantum operator. We obtain the measurement precision of the coupling strength between the pump mode and two degenerate signal modes beyond the parametric approximation. Without a dissipation, the super-Heisenberg limit can be obtained when the initial state is the direct product of classical state and quantum state. This does not require the use of entanglement resources which are not easy to prepare. When the pump mode suffers from a single-photon dissipation, the measurement uncertainty of the coupling strength is close to 0 as the coupling strength approaches 0 with a coherent driving. The direct photon detection is proved to be the optimal measurement. This result has not been changed when the signal modes suffer from the two-photon dissipation. When the signal modes also suffer from the single-mode dissipation, the information of the coupling strength can still be obtained in the steady state. In addition, the measurement uncertainty of the coupling strength can also be close to 0 and become independent of noise temperature as the critical point between the normal and superradiance phase approaches. Finally, we show that a driven-dissipation down-conversion system can be used as a precise quantum sensor to measure the driving strength.