The Effect of Polarization on the Quantum Radar Cross Section Response

The quantum radar cross section (QRCS) is a measure of how electromagnetically “large” an object appears to a quantum radar. The fundamental mechanism that creates the return response is the interaction between the atomic electric dipole moments and the incoming photon. This paper derives the QRCS equation considering the effect of photon polarization in this interaction, as well as providing a means to study bistatic radar geometries. It is found that under normal circumstances, polarization plays no role in the target response. However, if the target's atomic dipoles are all aligned in one particular direction, such as if the object is in a strong uniform or slowly varying field, polarization has a significant effect on the response by allowing us to “steer” the location of a null to any observation angle desired. Furthermore, scattering can be suppressed in a very large range of scattering angles (not just one) if the polarization of the object and photon are chosen judiciously. It will be shown that this effect is unique to quantum radar and has no classical counterpart.