Quantum integrated sensing and communication via entanglement

Abstract: Quantum communication and quantum metrology are widely compelling applications in the field of quantum information science, and quantum remote sensing is an intersection of both. Despite their differences, there are notable commonalities between quantum communication and quantum remote sensing, as they achieve their functionalities through the transmission of quantum states. Here we propose a novel quantum integrated sensing and communication (QISAC) protocol, which achieves quantum sensing under the Heisenberg limit while simultaneously enabling quantum secure communication through the transmission of entanglements. We have theoretically proven its security against eavesdroppers. The security of QISAC is characterized by the secrecy capacity for information bit as well as asymmetric Fisher information gain for sensing. Through simulations conducted under the constraints of limited entanglement resources, we illustrate that QISAC maintains high accuracy in the estimation of phase. Hence our QISAC offers a fresh perspective for the applications of future quantum networks.