Microwave quantum illumination using a digital receiver

Year: 2020

Authors: Barzanjeh S., Pirandola S., Vitali D., Fink JM.

Autors Affiliation: IST Austria, A-3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; Univ York, Dept Comp Sci, Deramore Lane, York YO10 5GH, N Yorkshire, England; MIT, Res Lab Elect, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA; Univ Camerino, Sch Sci & Technol, Phys Div, Camerino, MC, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Perugia, Perugia, Italy; CNR INO, Florence, Italy; Univ Calgary, Inst Quantum Sci & Technol IQST, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Abstract: Quantum illumination uses entangled signal-idler photon pairs to boost the detection efficiency of low-reflectivity objects in environments with bright thermal noise. Its advantage is particularly evident at low signal powers, a promising feature for applications such as noninvasive biomedical scanning or low-power short-range radar. Here, we experimentally investigate the concept of quantum illumination at microwave frequencies. We generate entangled fields to illuminate a room-temperature object at a distance of 1 m in a free-space detection setup. We implement a digital phase-conjugate receiver based on linear quadrature measurements that outperforms a symmetric classical noise radar in the same conditions, despite the entanglement-breaking signal path. Starting from experimental data, we also simulate the case of perfect idler photon number detection, which results in a quantum advantage compared with the relative classical benchmark. Our results highlight the opportunities and challenges in the way toward a first room-temperature application of microwave quantum circuits.

Journal/Review: SCIENCE ADVANCES

Volume: 6 (19)      Pages from: eabb0451-1  to: eabb0451-9

More Information: This work was supported by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), the European Research Council under grant agreement number 758053 (ERC StG QUNNECT), and the E.U.’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 862644 (FET Open QU ARTET). S.B. acknowledges support from the Marie Sklodowska Curie fellowship number 707438 (MSC-IF SUPEREOM); D.V. acknowledges support from E.U.’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 732894 (FET Proactive HOT) and the Project QuaSeRT funded by the QuantERA ERANET Cofund in Quantum Technologies; and J.M.F. from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) through BeyondC (F71), a NOMIS foundation research grant, and the E.U.’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 732894 (FET Proactive HOT).
KeyWords: quantum optic; microwave
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0451

Citations: 148
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