Dutch researchers are developing quantum radar, but China's
The Dutch Research Institute, TNO, at the EuMW2018 in Madrid, displayed
research into the use of microwave photon sensors for Quantum Radar
applications. The research is focussing on how two entangled photons will
respond to the radar signals. Compared with today's radar technologies,
the new Quantum radar will use a wide frequency spectrum and will be
able to detect very small objects.
The expectation is that the sensors will be developed in the coming
5 years. In the interview Nadia Haidar, Research Scientist, explains
the research and the objectives.
CET group claims to already have made working prototypes.
Quantum computing is still a theory looking for a way around
the big problem of quantum noise, but quantum radar looks
like an application of entanglement that will actually work.
US contractors like Lockheed Martin are reportedly also on the case,
according to DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
China claims it has developed a quantum radar
that can detect stealth aircraft
Quantum mechanics could be coming to the battlefield
By Shawn Knight on November 15, 2018, 1:27 PM
A quantum radar could be a game-changer on the battlefield, assuming of course that scientists are able to work past the unique hurdles that quantum mechanics present. Effective range and the sheer size of the device, for example, could be limiting factors in terms of practical applications.
State-owned defense specialist China Electronics Technology Group Corporation at the biennial Zhuhai Airshow last week showed off a prototype of what it claims is an advanced quantum radar capable of detecting stealth aircraft.
Traditional radar works by sending out a beam of electromagnetic energy which bounces off an object in its path. The reflected signal is then used to determine the object’s position. “Stealth” aircraft use angular shapes to deflect those signals away from radar equipment or special materials to absorb them, making them appear invisible to radar.
As The Drive explains, a quantum radar more or less does the same thing but uses photons that are “entangled” after a single beam of light is split in half. Only one of the split beams is sent out, the other “stays home.”
Thanks to the bizarre behavior of quantum entanglement, the “at home” beam exhibits the same tendencies as the beam sent out which, in theory, would allow the system to observe what happens to the other beam without it having to come back to base.
The group claims it has been working on the technology for years and first tested it in 2015.
Naturally, there are plenty of skeptics. Alan Woodward, a professor of physics at the U.K.’s University of Surrey, told New Scientist that without being able to take the lid off what has been shown, they can’t determine if it is the real deal or an elaborate hoax. It is the Chinese government, after all.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/24 ... ntum-radar
https://www.techspot.com/news/77448-chi ... etect.html
https://www.newscientist.com/article/21 ... th-planes/
