Photonic chip-scale quantum sensors for DARPA to be developed by RTX
NewsDecember 04, 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts. RTX's BBN Technologies will develop compact, low-power photonic sensors under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Intensity Squeezed Photonic Integration with Revolutionary Detection (INSPIRED) program, the company announced in a statement.
The sensors are designed to surpass the precision limits of conventional systems, achieving sensitivity levels 16 decibels below the fundamental "shot noise" threshold, which typically restricts the accuracy of light-based measurements, the statement reads. The prototype will employ quantum states of "squeezed light" to minimize photon noise and extract more precise environmental data.
These sensors have potential applications in LiDAR, fiber-based sensing, navigation, and communications, the company says. BBN Technologies is leveraging expertise in photonic integrated circuits and quantum measurement devices to create a millimeter-scale detector capable of detecting signals across a frequency range of 100 MHz to 10 GHz.
The project involves collaboration with Xanadu Quantum, the University of Maryland, and Raytheon’s Advanced Technology business, with work being performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts; San Diego, California; College Park, Maryland; and Toronto, Canada, the statement adds.
