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Radar Sensor Technology

Quantum illumination networks

Xiaobin Zhao, Zheshen Zhang, Quntao Zhuang

Published Jun 7, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We describe a sensing scheme that, by designing a transmitter array and a single receiver antenna, potentially resolves the low-power limitation that has plagued previous quantum illumination protocols. Despite the interference among different returning signals, we provide two measurement protocols, one based on parametric amplification, and one based on the recently proposed correlation-to-displacement conversion to achieve a quantum advantage in multiparameter estimation and hypothesis testing.

DOI
10.1117/12.3014070

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•Jan 28, 2026•0 citations
We describe a sensing scheme that, by designing a transmitter array and a single receiver antenna, potentially resolves the low-power limitation that has plagued previous quantum illumination protocols. Despite the interference among different returning signals, we provide two measurement protocols, one based on parametric amplification, and one based on the recently proposed correlation-to-displacement conversion to achieve a quantum advantage in multiparameter estimation and hypothesis testing.
Quantum illumination is an entanglement-based target detection protocol that provides quantum advantages despite the presence of entanglement-breaking noise. However, the advantage of traditional quantum illumination protocols is limited to impractical scenarios with low transmitted power and simple target configurations. In this work, we propose a quantum illumination network to overcome the limitations, via designing a transmitter array and a single receiver antenna. Thanks to multiple transmitters, quantum advantage is achieved even with a high total transmitted power. Moreover, for single-parameter estimation, the advantage of network over a single transmitter case increases with the number of transmitters before saturation. At the same time, complex target configurations with multiple unknown transmissivity or phase parameters can be resolved. Despite the interference of different returning signals at the single antenna and photon-loss due to multiple-access channel, we provide two types of measurement design, one based on parametric-amplification and one based on the correlation-to-displacement conversion (CtoD) to achieve a quantum advantage in estimating all unknown parameters. We also generalize the parameter estimation scenario to a general hypothesis testing scenario, where the six-decibel quantum illumination advantage is achieved at a much greater total probing power.
Quantum illumination is an entanglement-based target detection protocol that provides quantum advantages despite entanglement-breaking noise. However, the advantage of traditional quantum illumination protocols is limited to impractical scenarios with low transmitted power and simple target configurations. Here, we address these challenges by introducing a quantum illumination network that leverages a transmitter array and a single receiver antenna. Thanks to multiple transmitters, quantum advantage is achieved with a high total transmitted power. Furthermore, the network resolves complex target configurations involving multiple unknown transmissivity or phase parameters. Despite the interference of different returning signals at the single antenna and photon loss due to multiple-access channels, we develop two types of measurement designs: one based on parametric amplification and the other on correlation-to-displacement conversion. Finally, we generalize the parameter estimation scenario to a general hypothesis testing scenario, where the six-decibel quantum illumination advantage is achieved at a much greater total probing power. A quantum illumination protocol with a network of transmitters and a single receiver antenna is proposed. This protocol reaches a quantum advantage at high transmitted power and is applied to low-reflectivity target detection, pattern recognition, and multiple-phase sensing.
Entanglement is vulnerable to degradation in a noisy sensing scenario, but surprisingly, the quantum illumination protocol has demonstrated that its advantage can survive. However, designing a measurement system that realizes this advantage is challenging since the information is hidden in the weak correlation embedded in the noise at the receiver side. Recent progress in a correlation-to-displacement conversion module provides a route towards an optimal protocol for practical microwave quantum illumination. In this work, we extend the conversion module to accommodate experimental imperfections that are ubiquitous in microwave systems. To mitigate loss, we propose amplification of the return signals. In the case of ideal amplification, the entire six-decibel error-exponent advantage in target detection error can be maintained. However, in the case of noisy amplification, this advantage is reduced to three decibels. We analyze the quantum advantage under different scenarios with a Kennedy receiver in the final measurement. In the ideal case, the performance still achieves the optimal one over a fairly large range of error probability with only on-off detection. Empowered by photon-number-resolving detectors, the performance is further improved and also analyzed in terms of receiver operating characteristic curves. Our findings pave the way for the development of practical microwave quantum illumination systems.
An optical transmitter irradiates a target region containing a bright thermal-noise bath in which a low-reflectivity object might be embedded. The light received from this region is used to decide whether the object is present or absent. The performance achieved using a coherent-state transmitter is compared with that of a quantum-illumination transmitter, i.e., one that employs the signal beam obtained from spontaneous parametric down-conversion. By making the optimum joint measurement on the light received from the target region together with the retained spontaneous parametric down-conversion idler beam, the quantum-illumination system realizes a 6 dB advantage in the error-probability exponent over the optimum reception coherent-state system. This advantage accrues despite there being no entanglement between the light collected from the target region and the retained idler beam.
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.