Correlation Geometry of Quantum Sensor Networks: Local-Global Information Flow and Local Privacy

Abstract

Quantum sensor networks (QSN) typically encode N unknown parameters while targeting a single linear combination, rendering the N-1 remaining parameters as nuisance directions. To rigorously quantify estimation precision under such nuisances, we use the effective quantum Fisher information (EQFI) and establish a ``barrel-effect'' bottleneck: the global EQFI cannot exceed the weakest weighted local sensing capacity. To elucidate the information allocation mechanism underlying this bottleneck, we derive an exact local--global phase map that delineates how the trade-off between local and global EQFI depends dynamically on quantum correlations, and accordingly we identify concrete conditions for saturating the bottleneck bound. Notably, this geometric map uncovers a counterintuitive ``overcorrelated'' regime where excessive correlations actively degrade both local and global performance. Finally, we apply the phase map to intrinsic local privacy and identify the condition under which every local parameter is inaccessible while the desired global combination remains estimable. Overall, our work provides a principled methodology for engineering optimal network states in quantum sensing architectures.

5 pages, 3 figures