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arXiv · 2010.09156

Optimal probes for continuous variable quantum illumination

Mark Bradshaw·Lorcan O. Conlon·Spyros Tserkis·Mile Gu·Ping Koy Lam·Syed M. Assad
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Abstract

Quantum illumination is the task of determining the presence of an object in a noisy environment. We determine the optimal continuous variable states for quantum illumination in the limit of zero object reflectivity. We prove that the optimal single mode state is a coherent state, while the optimal two mode state is the two-mode squeezed-vacuum state. We find that these probes are not optimal at non-zero reflectivity, but remain near optimal. This demonstrates the viability of the continuous variable platform for an experimentally accessible, near optimal quantum illumination implementation.

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Mark Bradshaw, Lorcan O. Conlon, Spyros Tserkis, Mile Gu, Ping Koy Lam, Syed M. Assad. 2020-10-19. Optimal probes for continuous variable quantum illumination. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.103.062413

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