Optimal probes for continuous-variable quantum illumination
Mark Bradshaw, Lorcán O. Conlon, Spyros Tserkis, Mile Gu, Ping Koy Lam, Syed M. Assad
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 nonzero reflectivity, but remain near optimal. This demonstrates the viability of the continuous-variable platform for an experimentally accessible, near optimal quantum illumination implementation.
Topics & Concepts
QuantumContinuous variableMode (computer interface)Limit (mathematics)State (computer science)Quantum stateVariable (mathematics)OpticsObject (grammar)ReflectivityQuantum opticsZero (linguistics)Computer sciencePhysicsMathematicsQuantum mechanicsAlgorithmMathematical optimizationMathematical analysisArtificial intelligencePhilosophyLinguisticsOperating systemQuantum Information and CryptographyOrbital Angular Momentum in OpticsQuantum Mechanics and Applications