Minimum error probability of quantum illumination

Giacomo De Palma and Johannes Borregaard
Phys. Rev. A 98, 012101 – Published 2 July 2018

Abstract

Quantum illumination is a technique for detecting the presence of a target in a noisy environment by means of a quantum probe. We prove that the two-mode squeezed vacuum state is the optimal probe for quantum illumination in the scenario of asymmetric discrimination, where the goal is to minimize the decay rate of the probability of a false positive with a given probability of a false negative. Quantum illumination with two-mode squeezed vacuum states offers a 6 dB advantage in the error probability exponent compared to illumination with coherent states. Whether more advanced quantum illumination strategies may offer further improvements had been a longstanding open question. Our fundamental result proves that nothing can be gained by considering more exotic quantum states, such as, e.g., multimode entangled states. Our proof is based on a fundamental entropic inequality for the noisy quantum Gaussian attenuators. We also prove that without access to a quantum memory, the optimal probes for quantum illumination are the coherent states.

  • Figure
  • Received 15 February 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.98.012101

©2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Quantum Information, Science & Technology

Authors & Affiliations

Giacomo De Palma and Johannes Borregaard

  • QMATH, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 98, Iss. 1 — July 2018

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×