All-optical Loss-tolerant Distributed Quantum Sensing

Abstract: Distributed quantum sensing (DQS) leverages quantum resources to estimate an unknown global property of a networked quantum sensor beyond the classical limit. We propose and analyze an all-optical resource-efficient scheme for the next-generation DQS systems. Our method utilizes phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifiers and linear interferometers and achieves the sensitivity close to the optimal limit, as determined by the quantum Fisher information of the entangled resource state. Furthermore, it utilizes high-gain OPA-assisted detection, offering critical advantages of increased bandwidth and loss tolerance, in contrast to conventional methods employing balanced homodyne detection (BHD). We show the efficacy of our proposal for displacement sensing and show its loss tolerance against high levels of photon loss, thus circumventing the major obstacle in current BHD-based approaches. Our architectural analysis shows that our scheme can be realized with current quantum photonic technology