Atmospheric turbulence in quantum illumination

• Published in: Proceedings of SPIE, the international society for optical engineering Vol. 13392; pp. 133920Z - 133920Z-8
• Main Authors: Fasone, Joseph D., Morris, Mikaela R., Wyman, Keith A., Patnaik, Anil K.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: SPIE 19.03.2025
• ISBN: 9781510685321; 1510685324
• ISSN: 0277-786X
• DOI: 10.1117/12.3041333

The emergence of quantum sensing as an active subject of interest heralded a potential watershed moment in defense information collection capabilities. However, for these concepts to leave the laboratory, they must first demonstrate their usefulness under less-than-ideal conditions. One of these concepts in particular, quantum illumination, merits increased interest if it can overcome the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Quantum illumination theoretically promises exponentially higher resolution of object images. This research characterizes the effects of turbulence on the ability to successfully resolve an object image using photon pairs within the optical regime. It is inspired by an experiment conducted in the Canary Islands in 2007 that demonstrated free-space propagation of entangled photons over a distance of 144 km, while it fundamentally imitates the experimental design of “ghost imaging” conducted at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2009. However, it differs through its inclusion and expansion of research results obtained at the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2023, which established a relationship between the second-order correlation function, aperture diameter, and Fried coherence diameter. Ultimately, this research better quantifies the fundamental scientific challenges that must be overcome prior to the development of an operational quantum illumination system and makes recommendations regarding potential solutions.