Comprehensive analysis of quantum pure-state estimation for two-level systems

Given N identical copies of the state of a quantum two-level system, we analyze its optimal estimation. We consider two situations: general pure states and (pure) states restricted to lie on the equator of the Bloch sphere. We perform a complete and comprehensive analysis of the optimal schemes based on local measurements, and give results (optimal measurements, maximum fidelity, etc.) for arbitrary N, not necessarily large, within the Bayesian framework. We also make a comparative analysis of the asymptotic limit of these results with those derived from a (pointwise) Cramér-Rao type of approach. We give explicit schemes based on local measurements and no classical communication that saturate the fidelity bounds of the most general collective schemes. © 2005 The American Physical Society.