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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Quantum imaging for underwater arctic navigation

Marco O. Lanzagorta

Published May 1, 2017• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The precise navigation of underwater vehicles is a difficult task due to the challenges imposed by the variable oceanic environment. It is particularly difficult if the underwater vehicle is trying to navigate under the Arctic ice shelf. Indeed, in this scenario traditional navigation devices such as GPS, compasses and gyrocompasses are unavailable or unreliable. In addition, the shape and thickness of the ice shelf is variable throughout the year. Current Arctic underwater navigation systems include sonar arrays to detect the proximity to the ice. However, these systems are undesirable in a wartime environment, as the sound gives away the position of the underwater vehicle. In this paper we briefly describe the theoretical design of a quantum imaging system that could allow the safe and stealthy navigation of underwater Arctic vehicles.

DOI
10.1117/12.2262654

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The precise navigation of underwater vehicles is a difficult task due to the challenges imposed by the variable oceanic environment. It is particularly difficult if the underwater vehicle is trying to navigate under the Arctic ice shelf. Indeed, in this scenario traditional navigation devices such as GPS, compasses and gyrocompasses are unavailable or unreliable. In addition, the shape and thickness of the ice shelf is variable throughout the year. Current Arctic underwater navigation systems include sonar arrays to detect the proximity to the ice. However, these systems are undesirable in a wartime environment, as the sound gives away the position of the underwater vehicle. In this paper we briefly describe the theoretical design of a quantum imaging system that could allow the safe and stealthy navigation of underwater Arctic vehicles.
Underwater imaging is a crucial technology necessary for many ocean-related applications such as underwater navigation, surveying, mining and many others. Unfortunately, the optical attenuation produced by oceanic waters imposes severe limitations to traditional imaging devices. Thus, new technologies are needed to probe the underwater environment in a more efficient manner. Quantum imaging represents such a technology that has potential to overcome some of the optical attenuation effects produced by the underwater maritime environment.
Entangled photon quantum imaging technology has become very promising for marine imaging due to its high resolution, anti-turbulence, and anti-interference properties. The turbulence and optical attenuation caused by oceanic water would impose severe limitations on conventional imaging equipment. Quantum imaging based on entangled light sources could make it possible to overcome the constraints of low imaging resolution, large maritime environmental impact and low confidentiality in traditional underwater target imaging. Hence, the recent technological developments in terms of quantum imaging in free space motivate our investigation into high-resolution quantum imaging based on spatially correlated properties of entangled photon pairs in a marine environment. Moreover we propose and design an innovative underwater quantum imaging optical path for experimental verification. We conduct extensive experiments to assess the effectiveness of our proposed quantum imaging approach in marine environments. In order to solve the problem of the slow quantum imaging process, we propose an innovative compressive sensing reconstruction algorithm. Experiments show that the compressive sensing method could be utilized to reduce the imaging time. Finally, we propose an underwater quantum target identification method based on deep learning, further providing the possibility for underwater quantum target identification of entangled light sources.
The growing reliance on Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies across critical sectors such as defense, aerospace, and autonomous systems highlights the need for navigation solutions that are robust against signal loss, spoofing, and jamming. Quantum-based navigation systems offer a promising alternative, leveraging the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics to achieve unprecedented precision and resilience. This paper provides an overview of the core quantum technologies enabling this next generation of navigation, including atomic interferometry, quantum accelerometers, gyroscopes, and ultra-precise quantum clocks. Cold atom techniques and laser cooling play pivotal roles in enhancing measurement stability and accuracy. The integration of these technologies into inertial navigation systems (INS) significantly reduces drift and extends operational reliability in GPS-denied environments. Quantum navigation technologies are finding applications across a wide range of domains, including military defense, underwater missions, space travel, and autonomous transportation. Despite existing obstacles such as high development costs, environmental sensitivity, and the need for further miniaturization, progress in quantum sensor development and engineering continues at a steady pace. This article presents an overview of the fundamental concepts, present capabilities, and prospective advancements in quantum navigation. It also highlights the technology's promise as a viable alternative or even a possible replacement for conventional GPS systems.
Combined with the theory of statistical optics and underwater optical properties, this paper proposes a quantum imaging method for entangled photons in the Nikishov ocean environment targeting the problems of low imaging resolution of entangled photons in seawater and low probability of underwater photon capture. Specifically, we first design the optical path for underwater quantum imaging with the entangled light. Then based on the Nikishov ocean turbulence model, an underwater correlation algorithm is proposed according to the Rytov approximation. We set up an experimental optical path and test the effect of different seawater characteristic parameters on the imaging resolution to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and system.
As an important part of underwater optical technology, underwater imaging plays a crucial role in accurately capturing underwater targets and environmental features. Facing the challenges of complex ocean environments and severe photon attenuation, quantum imaging breaks through the limitations of traditional optical imaging technology by utilizing the characteristics of two-photon entanglement and time-space correlation, thus offering a new perspective on ocean turbulence. To this end, we propose a new underwater entangled-photon quantum imaging system. Specifically, we first construct an entangled photon quantum imaging physical model through ocean long-exposure turbulence and then exploit an entangled light coincidence imaging reconstruction method to image the target object. Furthermore, in response to the problem that ocean environment has a great impact on photons, we develop a photon capture probability method based on entangled photon pairs to reduce the impact of the ocean turbulence noise on imaging and improve the underwater target imaging resolution. We experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by showing that even in harsh ocean environments, quantum imaging performs superior resolution capabilities over traditional light source imaging techniques.
Quantum optimization is currently developing strongly in many research fields. This method uses the principle of quantum mechanics to determine the process of quantum fluctuations in optimal calculations. In this study, we use the Quantum Annealing Algorithm (QAA) to optimize the journey of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to find the shortest distance, consume the least energy, and even avoid obstacles while moving. The research results on simulations are compared with the traditional Dijkstra method to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, thereby affirming the superiority of quantum optimization in the automatic control of AUV.