Estimation of Gaussian random displacement using non-Gaussian states

It has been shown that some non-Gaussian states are useful in quantum metrology. In this paper, we consider an estimation problem which is not well studied in previous researches-an estimation of displacement that follows a Gaussian distribution when post-selection of the measurement outcome is allowed. We derive a lower bound for the estimation error when only Gaussian states and Gaussian operations are used. We show that this bound can be beaten using only linear optics and simple non-Gaussian states such as single photon states. We also obtain a lower bound for the estimation error when the maximum photon number of the sensor state is given, using a generalized version of Van Trees inequality. Our result further reveals the limit of methods using Gaussian states and the role of non-Gaussianity in quantum metrology.