Ultimate Accuracy Limit of Quantum Pulse-Compression Ranging
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
Published on: June 8, 2018
Quntao Zhuang1,2, Jeffrey H Shapiro3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Abstract:
Radars use time-of-flight measurement to infer the range to a distant target from its return's round-trip range delay. They typically transmit a high time-bandwidth product waveform and use pulse-compression reception to simultaneously achieve satisfactory range resolution and range accuracy under a peak transmitted-power constraint. Despite the many proposals for quantum radar, none have delineated the ultimate quantum limit on ranging accuracy. We derive that limit through continuous-time quantum analysis and show that quantum illumination ranging-a quantum pulse-compression radar that exploits the entanglement between a high time-bandwidth product transmitted signal pulse and and a high time-bandwidth product retained idler pulse-achieves that limit. We also show that quantum illumination ranging offers mean-squared range-delay accuracy that can be tens of dB better than that of a classical pulse-compression radar of the same pulse bandwidth and transmitted energy.
Related Concept Videos
The Uncertainty Principle
Accuracy, limits, and approximation
Accuracy is defined as the closeness of the measured value to the true or actual value. In engineering mechanics, repeated measurements are taken during theoretical or experimental analyses to ensure that the result is precise and accurate.
The accuracy of any solution is based on the...
Mass Analyzers: Overview
NMR Spectrometers: Resolution and Error Correction
NMR Spectrometers: Radiofrequency Pulses and Pulse Sequences
Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

