Multidimensional quantum-enhanced target detection via spectro-temporal correlation measurements

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a quantum-enhanced target detection method using multidimensional photon correlations, significantly reducing background noise and data acquisition time, advancing practical quantum sensing technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach combining spectral and temporal correlations in photon pairs for improved quantum target detection.

Findings

Achieved over an order of magnitude noise reduction.

Reduced data acquisition time significantly.

Enhanced potential for real-time quantum sensing.

Abstract

In this work we investigate quantum-enhanced target detection in the presence of large background noise using multidimensional quantum correlations between photon pairs generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Until now similar experiments have only utilized one of the photon pairs' many degrees of freedom such as temporal correlations and photon number correlations. Here, we utilized both temporal and spectral correlations of the photon pairs and achieved over an order of magnitude reduction to the background noise and in turn significant reduction to data acquisition time when compared to utilizing only temporal modes. We believe this work represents an important step in realizing a practical, real-time quantum-enhanced target detection system. The demonstrated technique will also be of importance in many other quantum sensing applications and quantum communications.