Comparison of SNR gain between quantum illumination radar and classical radar

It has been proved that quantum illumination (QI) radar has the quantum advantages in error-probability exponent. However, the error-probability exponent is not a recognized figure of merit in the radar literature, nor does it correspond in a straightforward manner to any such figure of merit. Signal to noise ratio (SNR) gain is an important criterion in radar theory. While, the theoretical analysis of quantum enhancement in SNR gain of QI radar has not been reported. In this paper, we compare the physical fundamental of matched filter (MF), which can achieve the optimal SNR gain under white noise in classical radar theory, and phase conjugation (PC) receiver. Furthermore, the quantum enhancement of SNR gain in QI radar is studied. It is shown that QI radar with practical receivers can achieve about 3dB quantum advantage in SNR gain. In addition, in the case of extremely weak signal, it can potentially achieve tens of dB enhancement in SNR gain compared with the MF based classical radar.(c) 2022 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement