A Note on the Efficient Operation of Quantum Radar and the Fair Classical Comparison

Abstract

At the current state of the scientific discourse on quantum radar, the best understood and experimentally feasible types of implementation are based on two-mode-squeezed-vacuum photon states and aimed at the task of target detection. The operating environment, in which an advantage over classical radar may be attainable, is thereby limited to the extreme regimes of very low signal-to-noise ratios and high thermal noise levels as well as confining the required hardware at mK temperatures. In this work, we approach the open question of how to optimally operate a potential quantum radar system. To this end, we define the optimal operation by means of the detection advantage against classical radar as well as the efficient usage of the resource measurement time. We show that there is a trade-off between time-efficiency and out-performance of classical radar and specify the conditions for such an operation. Building on this aspect, we investigate the concept of the fair classical comparison to facilitate the understanding of its relation to quantum radar.