Theory of versatile fidelity estimation with confidence

Estimating the fidelity with a target state is important in quantum information tasks. Many fidelity estimation techniques present a suitable measurement scheme to perform the estimation. In contrast, we present techniques that allow the experimentalist to choose a convenient measurement setting. Our primary focus lies on a method that constructs an estimator with nearly minimax optimal confidence intervals for any specified measurement setting. We demonstrate, through a combination of theoretical and numerical results, various desirable properties of the method: robustness against experimental imperfections, competitive sample complexity, and accurate estimates in practice. We compare this method with Maximum Likelihood Estimation and the associated Profile Likelihood method, a Semi-Definite Programming based approach, direct fidelity estimation, quantum state verification, and classical shadows. Our method can also be used for estimating the expectation value of any observable with the same guarantees.