Quantum Radar Cost and Practical Issues
Fred E. Daum · IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine · 2020
We compute the minimum cost for an optimal quantum radar, and we compare it with the cost of actual real world classical radars as a function of range. Our calculations show that the minimum cost quantum radar at X-band is many orders of magnitude more expensive than the corresponding classical radar, even assuming the most optimistic wideband-phased array radar architecture. We also assume that the quantum radar is optimal; that is, the effective signal-to-noise ratio is 6 dB better than for a classical radar with the same transmit power and bandwidth at low photon flux per mode. Finally, we discuss many practical issues and potential solutions.