Researchers in Canada are developing a quantum radar system that can detect stealth aircraft and missiles in skies cluttered with background noise.
The $2.7 million project funded by the Department of National Defence aims to harness a technique called quantum illumination to spot objects that are invisible to traditional radio wave-based systems.
By using entangled photons to reveal the location of a stealth craft, the researchers say the system could expose a plane without its pilots ever realizing.
Researchers in Canada are developing a quantum radar system that can detect stealth aircraft and missiles in skies cluttered with background noise. The $2.7 million project funded by the Department of National Defence. File photo
Stealth craft are equipped with systems to ‘jam’ detectors with artificial noise, in addition to using special paint and designs to thwart detection by radio waves.
There are also a number of environmental factors that can present challenges to radar systems, the researchers from the University of Waterloo explain.
‘In the Arctic, space weather such as geomagnetic storms and solar flares interfere with radar operation and make the effective identification of objects more challenging,’ said Jonathan Baugh, a faculty member at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC).
‘By moving from traditional radar to quantum radar, we hope to not only cut through this noise, but also to identify objects that have been specifically designed to avoid detection.’
Quantum radar would rely on the principle of quantum entanglement, in which two photons form a connected pair even over great distances.
The system would send out one of the photons, while the other in the pair would stay behind.
According to the researchers, it could vastly improve the accuracy in environments with a lot of background noise.
But, doing this in the field would require a method for producing entangled photons on demand.
‘The goal for our project is to create a robust source of entangled photons that can be generated at the press of a button,’ said Baugh.
The $2.7 million project funded by the Department of National Defence aims to harness a technique called quantum illumination to spot objects that are invisible to traditional radio wave-based systems. An artist’s impression of quantum entanglement
WHAT IS QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT?
In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that actions performed by one affects the behaviour of the other, even if they are separated by huge distances.
This means if you measure, ‘up’ for the spin of one photon from an entangled pair, the spin of the other, measured an instant later, will be ‘down’ – even if the two are on opposite sides of the world.
Entanglement takes place when a part of particles interact physically.
In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that actions performed by one affects the behaviour of the other, even if they are separated by huge distances (artist’s impression)
For instance, a laser beam fired through a certain type of crystal can cause individual light particles to be split into pairs of entangled photons.
The theory that so riled Einstein is also referred to as ‘spooky action at a distance’.
Einstein wasn’t happy with theory, because it suggested that information could travel faster than light.
The Canadian government has invested $2.7 million in research into the technology.
According to the researchers, the 54 North Warning System radar stations in the Arctic may need to be replaced as soon as 2025.
While quantum illumination has so far only been investigated in the lab, it’s hoped that the current research will pave the way for its realization in the real world.
‘This project will allow us to develop the technology to help move quantum radar from the lab to the field,’ said Baugh.
‘It could change the way we think about national security.’