Italy tested the light quantum radar system

Italian scientists have unveiled a new radar system, sparking hope for an advanced air-traffic control system, capable of tracking the missing plane like Malaysia's Boeing MH370. Airlines.

The world's first light quantum radar system was tested at Pisa airport in Italy and achieved "world-class" results, according to an independent reviewer.

The system called PhoDiR (short for "digitized radar completely based on light quantum") uses lasers to produce high-fidelity signals, indicating the exact location of the aircraft. This is considered a prototype of new generation radars, designed to allow pilots and air traffic control agencies to exchange more information with a single signal.

The PhoDiR radar system is able to directly transmit images of developments in the cockpit as well as provide more accurate aircraft location information.

This light quantum system promises to deliver a more accurate and less noise radar signal transmission than today's popular radars. It is also advertised with higher bandwidth (can transmit cockpit data as well as location information at the same time), better flexibility (more frequencies) and more compact antennas (help cost reduction and ease of transportation.

PhoDiR is a patent product of Paolo Ghelfi and colleagues at the Italian National Quantum Systems Laboratory. To test the system, the inventors placed PhoDiR on the roof of their laboratory and headed it toward the take-off planes from Pisa airport nearby.

"The system is even more accurate than we expected. We have detected far more aircraft than initially expected, with even higher accuracy. We are trying to see it correctly. How much more than conventional radars, " Ghelfi said.

However, the researcher admits, the main limitation of PhoDiR system is its scope of operation . Experts are still unclear, how a ground-based light quantum radar can cover a larger area offshore, compared to current coastal radar stations.

According to Ghelfi, in airspace areas through the ocean, air traffic control may still depend on satellite capabilities. And for this reason, Malaysia's missing MH370 aircraft are likely to "escape" PhoDiR's track if it passes through the Indian Ocean.

Instead of hunting for offshore planes, the new system will be more useful for controlling land airspace. In addition, the system can also be used more widely in wireless communications and surveillance, for example, helping drivers on highway to collide when traveling.