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Microwave Quantum Radar based on a Josephson Traveling wave Parametric Amplifier and a Phase-Conjugate Receiver

Patrizia Livreri

Published Dec 30, 2022• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In this article, the current status of a novel mi- crowave quantum radar (MQR) based on quantum illumination (QI) protocol using a Josephson traveling-wave parametric am- plifier (JTWPA) as a quantum source of broadband microwave entangled photons for detecting very low cross-radar section objects is described. Microwave entangled signal-idler pairs at 3.3 GHz and 3.45 GHz are generated, respectively, with a wide bandwidth equal to 3 GHz, a power gain equal to 15.3 dB, and a noise temperature close to the standard quantum limit (SQL) at cryogenic temperatures. A phase conjugate receiver is used as a joint detection scheme for entangled signal-idler pairs, and the expected performance of the scheme in terms of the corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is obtained. These results in terms of maximum dynamic bandwidth and ROC candidate our proposed scheme towards a long-range target detection MQR.

DOI
10.36227/techrxiv.21778007

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In this article, the current status of a novel mi- crowave quantum radar (MQR) based on quantum illumination (QI) protocol using a Josephson traveling-wave parametric am- plifier (JTWPA) as a quantum source of broadband microwave entangled photons for detecting very low cross-radar section objects is described. Microwave entangled signal-idler pairs at 3.3 GHz and 3.45 GHz are generated, respectively, with a wide bandwidth equal to 3 GHz, a power gain equal to 15.3 dB, and a noise temperature close to the standard quantum limit (SQL) at cryogenic temperatures. A phase conjugate receiver is used as a joint detection scheme for entangled signal-idler pairs, and the expected performance of the scheme in terms of the corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is obtained. These results in terms of maximum dynamic bandwidth and ROC candidate our proposed scheme towards a long-range target detection MQR.
In this article, the current status of a novel mi- crowave quantum radar (MQR) based on quantum illumination (QI) protocol using a Josephson traveling-wave parametric am- plifier (JTWPA) as a quantum source of broadband microwave entangled photons for detecting very low cross-radar section objects is described. Microwave entangled signal-idler pairs at 3.3 GHz and 3.45 GHz are generated, respectively, with a wide bandwidth equal to 3 GHz, a power gain equal to 15.3 dB, and a noise temperature close to the standard quantum limit (SQL) at cryogenic temperatures. A phase conjugate receiver is used as a joint detection scheme for entangled signal-idler pairs, and the expected performance of the scheme in terms of the corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is obtained. These results in terms of maximum dynamic bandwidth and ROC candidate our proposed scheme towards a long-range target detection MQR.
A Microwave Quantum Radar (MQR) based on the Quantum Illumination (QI) protocol and using a Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA) and a Phase-Coniugate Receiver is introduced for the first time. A JTWPA, operating as a two-mode squeezed vacuum state quantum source, emitting a microwave signal-idler entangled state is developed and experimentally characterised. A phase-conjugate receiver is used as a joint detecting unit for the entangled signal-idler pairs, and its corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are reported and compared to the optimal classic scheme. The proposed MQR scheme paves the way to a long-distance target detection.
Detection of low-reflectivity objects can be improved by the so-called Quantum Illumination (QI) procedure. However, quantum detection error probability exponentially decays with the source bandwidth. The Josephson Parametric Amplifiers (JPAs) technology utilized as a source, generating pairs of entangled signals called two-mode squeezed vacuum states, shows a very narrow bandwidth limiting the operation of the Microwave Quantum Illumination (MQI) systems. In this paper, for the first time, a microwave quantum radar setup based on quantum illumination protocol and using a Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier (JTWPA) is proposed. We experimentally demonstrate the generation and control of three-wave mixing modes produced by a JTWPA, key enabler radiation source for MQI schemes. Measurement results of the developed JTWPA, pumped at 12 GHz, show the capability to generate entangled modes in the X-band, making our MQI system a promising candidate for the detection of stealth objects.
Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier (JTWPA) has the potential to offer quantum limited noise and a large bandwidth. This amplifier is based on parametric amplification of microwaves traveling through a transmission line with embedded non-linear elements. In this paper, starting from the fabrication of the JTWPA, based on Quantum Electrodynamics (QEDs), operating as a non-classical quantum source for generating a signal-idler entangled state, its characterization in terms of scattering parameters is presented. The cryogenic and room temperature experimental results are discussed. The good performance of the JTWPA in terms of wide bandwidth and increased transmitted power, makes it an ideal candidate for Microwave Quantum Radar (MQR) applications. Finally, the performance of a MQR based on the JTWPA developed at INRiM are reported, showing a radar maximum range equal to 82.2 m, that represents the greatest value compared to previously published works.
Microwave quantum illumination (QI) represents a paradigm shift in low-power wireless radar detection, leveraging entanglement between signal and idler microwave photons to achieve detection performance exceeding classical limits by up to 6 dB in error exponent, particularly in high-noise environments where traditional coherent radars falter. This comprehensive survey delineates the theoretical foundations and practical protocols of microwave QI, beginning with two-mode squeezed vacuum state generation using Josephson parametric amplifiers in cryogenic setups, which produce highly correlated photon pairs resilient to channel decoherence. Receiver architectures, including optical parametric amplifier-single-photon avalanche diode (OPA-SPADE) systems with sum-frequency generation for joint measurements and digital phase-conjugation for computational correlation recovery, enable efficient extraction of quantum discord even after significant atmospheric loss or low target reflectivity (under 1%).Performance analyses under realistic thermal noise models ( ) and -loss channels confirm sustained quantum advantages via the quantum Chernoff exponent , validated by ray-tracing simulations showing doubled detection range at fixed power and lab experiments at 10 GHz carriers detecting weak reflectors amid 100 K noise. Low-power optimizations such as adaptive entanglement tuning, chirped pulse shaping, and neural network-aided parameter selection yield 50% energy reductions without sacrificing fidelity, making QI viable for battery-limited platforms. Applications encompass short-range automotive/UAV radar for fog-penetrating obstacle avoidance, non-invasive biomedical subsurface imaging with safe radiation levels, covert perimeter security against jamming, and seamless integration into 6G networks via joint communication-sensing waveforms at mm Wave/THz bands. The paper identifies key challenges including multi-target scalability, real-time gigascale processing, and quantum RF interface standardization, proposing hybrid quantum-classical frameworks and entanglement-swapped sensor arrays as pathways to deployment. This work bridges quantum optics with RF engineering, equipping researchers with blueprints for prototyping transformative quantum-enhanced wireless sensing systems.
Quantum illumination is a sensing technique that employs entangled signal-idler beams to improve the detection efficiency of low-reflectivity objects in environments with large thermal noise. The advantage over classical strategies is evident at low signal brightness, a feature which could make the protocol an ideal prototype for non-invasive scanning or low-power short-range radar. Here we experimentally investigate the concept of quantum illumination at microwave frequencies, by generating entangled fields using a Josephson parametric converter which are then amplified to illuminate a room-temperature object at a distance of 1 meter. Starting from experimental data, we simulate the case of perfect idler photon number detection, which results in a quantum advantage compared to the relative classical benchmark. Our results highlight the opportunities and challenges on the way towards a first room-temperature application of microwave quantum circuits.