Quantum phase estimation for nondestructive monitoring and Wigner tomography of bosonic fields
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Abstract
Quantum phase estimation is usually introduced as an algorithmic primitive for extracting eigenphases of unitary operators. Here we show that, when implemented through a dispersive light-matter interaction, it can also be used as a nondestructive measurement tool for bosonic fields. We consider a bosonic mode coupled to a multi-qubit register and calibrate the photon-number dependent phase shifts so that the register performs a number-resolved quantum phase estimation readout. Repeating this readout during dissipative evolution enables nondestructive monitoring of photon-number dynamics. We then show that the same readout can be converted into a Wigner tomography reconstruction by applying phase-space displacements before the quantum phase estimation block. Numerical reconstructions for Fock, coherent, and even/odd Schrödinger cat states show the expected nonclassical phase-space structures and near-unity Wigner overlap fidelities. The protocol provides a unified route to nondestructive monitoring and state tomography of bosonic fields, with direct relevance for bosonic-state characterization, calibration, and control in superconducting quantum architectures.