Quantum channel position finding using single photons

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum channel position finding with single-photon sources, demonstrating potential quantum advantages over classical methods through performance bounds in quantum sensing applications.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for quantum channel position finding using single-photon sources and derives performance bounds showing quantum enhancement possibilities.

Findings

Quantum advantage possible with single-photon sources

Performance bounds demonstrate improved detection capabilities

Applicable to quantum sensing and spectroscopy

Abstract

Channel position finding is the task of determining the location of a single target channel amongst an ensemble of background channels. It has many potential applications, including quantum sensing, quantum reading and quantum spectroscopy. In particular, it could allow for simple detection protocols to be extended to ones of measurement, for example, target ranging with quantum illumination. The use of quantum states and entanglement in such protocols have shown to yield quantum advantages over their optimal classical counterparts. Here we consider quantum channel position finding using sources specified by at most one single photon on average per mode, using the discrete variable formalism. By considering various quantum sources it is shown through the derivation of performance bounds that a quantum enhancement may be realised.