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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Quantum target ranging for LiDAR

Giuseppe Ortolano1,2,3 and Ivano Ruo-Berchera1

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022059 – Published 9 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.L022059

Abstract

We investigate Quantum Target Ranging in the context of multihypothesis testing and its applicability to real-world LiDAR systems. First, we demonstrate that ranging is generally an easier task compared to the well-studied problem of target detection. We then analyze the theoretical bounds and advantages of quantum ranging in the context of phase-insensitive measurements, which is the operational mode of most LiDAR systems. Additionally, we adopt a background noise model more suited to optical frequencies, as opposed to the typical single-mode thermal noise model used in quantum target detection theory. Our findings indicate that a significant exponential quantum advantage can be achieved using simple photon-counting receivers across a broad range of parameters, thereby validating the efficacy of the quantum approach for LiDAR implementations.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022059– Published 9 June, 2025
  • Received 7 August 2024
  • Revised 20 October 2024
  • Accepted 30 April 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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