Unifying parameter estimation and the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm for continuous variables

Abstract

We reveal a close relationship between quantum metrology and the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm on continuous-variable quantum systems. We develop a general procedure, characterized by two parameters, that unifies parameter estimation and the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm. Depending on which parameter we keep constant, the procedure implements either the parameter-estimation protocol or the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm. The parameter-estimation part of the procedure attains the Heisenberg limit and is therefore optimal. Due to the use of approximate normalizable continuous-variable eigenstates, the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm is probabilistic. The procedure estimates a value of an unknown parameter and solves the Deutsch-Jozsa problem without the use of any entanglement. © 2010 The American Physical Society.