Hao Shuhong, Shi Haowei, Gagatsos Christos N, Mishra Mayank, Bash Boulat, Djordjevic Ivan, Guha Saikat, Zhuang Quntao, Zhang Zheshen
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2022 Jul 1;129(1):010501. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.010501.
The laws of quantum physics endow superior performance and security for information processing: quantum sensing harnesses nonclassical resources to enable measurement precision unmatched by classical sensing, whereas quantum cryptography aims to unconditionally protect the secrecy of the processed information. Here, we present the theory and experiment for entanglement-enhanced covert sensing, a paradigm that simultaneously offers high measurement precision and data integrity by concealing the probe signal in an ambient noise background so that the execution of the protocol is undetectable with a high probability. We show that entanglement offers a performance boost in estimating the imparted phase by a probed object, as compared to a classical protocol at the same covertness level. The implemented entanglement-enhanced covert sensing protocol operates close to the fundamental quantum limit by virtue of its near-optimum entanglement source and quantum receiver. Our work is expected to create ample opportunities for quantum information processing at unprecedented security and performance levels.
量子传感利用非经典资源实现经典传感无法企及的测量精度，而量子密码学旨在无条件地保护处理后信息的保密性。在此，我们提出了纠缠增强隐蔽传感的理论与实验，这是一种通过将探测信号隐藏在环境噪声背景中，同时提供高测量精度和数据完整性的范式，从而使协议的执行极有可能不被察觉。我们表明，与处于相同隐蔽水平的经典协议相比，纠缠在估计被探测物体所赋予的相位方面能提升性能。所实现的纠缠增强隐蔽传感协议凭借其近乎最优的纠缠源和量子接收器，接近基本量子极限运行。我们的工作有望以前所未有的安全和性能水平为量子信息处理创造大量机会。
