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Stable and High-Precision 3D Positioning via Tunable Composite-Dimensional Hong-Ou-Mandel Interference
Yongqiang Li1,2,3, Hongfeng Liu4, Dawei Lu4
1Hunan Normal University, Key Laboratory of Low-Dimension Quantum Structures and Quantum Control of Ministry of Education, Synergetic Innovation Center for Quantum Effects and Applications, Department of Physics, Changsha 410081, China.
Physical Review Letters
|January 20, 2026
Summary
We developed a stable 3D quantum positioning system using Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference. This method offers high precision and reliability for 3D spatial resolution, even with few photons.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Metrology
- Quantum Information Science
- Optical Physics
Background:
- Previous quantum positioning schemes were limited to 1D.
- Real-world applications demand full 3D spatial resolution.
- Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference is a key quantum phenomenon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generalize Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference for stable and high-precision 3D quantum positioning.
- To achieve ultimate sensitivity defined by the quantum Cramér-Rao bound.
- To stabilize estimation accuracy independent of estimated parameters.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference for quantum positioning.
- Implementing simple polarization tuning to stabilize estimation accuracy.
- Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations to validate the scheme.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable and high-precision 3D quantum positioning.
- Demonstrated ultimate sensitivity under ideal conditions.
- Showcased reliable 3D positioning with limited photons and stable Fisher information.
Conclusions:
- The proposed scheme successfully generalizes HOM positioning to 3D.
- The method offers ultraprecise and reliable 3D positioning capabilities.
- This technique is robust even with a limited number of detected photons.
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