Quantum Radars and Lidars: Concepts, realizations, and perspectives

Abstract

Quantum radars and lidars are a novel, much-discussed, and rapidly evolving field of quantum science and technology, promising remarkable advantages in such basic tasks as target detection, ranging, and recognition. Quantum radars and lidars have already moved from the realm of theoretical considerations toward experiments, green, and as is the case for lidars, toward practical applications. Here we review the underlying concepts and present the basic configurations of quantum radars and lidars based on photonic entanglement and single-photon detection. We also briefly discuss the methods of producing entangled photons, such as spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), spontaneous four-wave mixing, Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPAs), and quantum antennas. We show that quantum technologies open promising avenues toward the enhancement of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and overcoming the Rayleigh limit in radar and lidar systems.