Research & Development
Advancing the frontier of quantum-enabled defense through Atomic Vapor Cell magnetometry, NV diamond sensing, AI-driven multi-target threat tracking, and quantum-secure communications.
Active Programs
Quantum Sensors & Sensor Processing (QiSPS)
CU-QiSPS-R3.5.25The QiSPS (Quantum Intelligence Sensor Processing System) is Cuantico's flagship R&D program — a vehicle-mounted, multi-domain quantum sensor architecture enabling covert threat detection, GPS-denied navigation, and quantum-secure communications. Built around two complementary sensing technologies — Atomic Vapor Cell (AVC) sensor arrays and thin-film NV centers in diamond — QiSPS detects femtotesla-level magnetic field signatures from concealed weapons, IEDs, drones, and armored vehicles without emitting any detectable RF signal.
- Rb-87 / Cs-133 vapor cells operating in Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free (SERF) regime — sensitivity <1 fT/√Hz
- Dual-channel differential sensing: 60 dB common-mode rejection of geomagnetic background
- Optically pumped via 795 nm (Rb-87 D1) DFB laser — zero RF emission, inherently covert
- 3D vector magnetic field reconstruction at 1 kHz update rate: real-time Bx, By, Bz per cell
- Array configuration: 16–64 AVC cells in 2D/3D geometry — configurable for platform integration
- Background noise attenuation: dual reference AVC baseline cell — geomagnetic drift removed in real time
- µ-metal shielded per-cell cavity — ambient low-frequency EM interference suppressed at cell level
- Detection range: concealed ferromagnetic threat at 5–80 m standoff; vehicle/IED at 50–500 m (LoS)
- Thermally stabilized cell oven: ±0.01 °C — prevents vapor density drift that degrades SERF sensitivity
- Walk-through portal format: AVC doorframe array identifies ceramic/polymer-framed threats missed by RF magnetometers
- Dark vessel / maritime: UAV-mounted AVC dome detects magnetic wake of submerged or surface vessels from altitude
- Police crowd screening: non-contact multi-subject scanning — AI tracks 50+ individuals simultaneously
- Wearable body camera integration (QiSS node): officer-worn AVC sensor co-located with body camera for simultaneous optical/magnetic threat sensing
- Fixed CCTV integration: AVC sensor clusters co-mounted with security cameras — AI fuses magnetic + video analytics for persistent crowd threat tracking
- Thin-film NV centers in CVD diamond lattice — silicon photonic waveguide integration for chip-scale arrays
- Sensitivity: 10–30 fT/√Hz at room temperature via ODMR (Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance)
- Geodesic dome array: 360° magnetic field coverage — 470–700 NV nodes for vehicle platform installation
- Phased-array magnetometry: synthetic aperture processing for directional threat bearing and range estimation
- Passive, non-radiating — resilient to jamming and intercept by construction
- NV-based GPS-denied navigation: dead-reckoning via magnetic field gradient maps + MEMS INS fusion
- QKD variant: NV entangled photon pair source for quantum-secure inter-platform communication
- VITA 66.5 ODMR fluorescence readout (637 nm) via optical fibre — all-optical signal path to VPX chassis
- SAVE½ envelope: plug-and-play integration into MRAPs, JLTVs, CVR(T), naval patrol platforms
- CNN spectral classifier trained on 200+ threat magnetic signature profiles: firearms, IEDs, drone rotors, armored vehicles, knives
- Background noise model training: real-world urban EM environment datasets for false alarm suppression
- AI background attenuation: adaptive geomagnetic baseline subtraction — SNR improvement up to 10× in high-clutter environments
- Multi-Target Tracking (MTT): JPDA/MHT algorithms — persistent threat ID assignment across 50+ simultaneous tracks
- Tagging and track handoff: persistent threat ID maintained across sensor array nodes and camera field-of-view transitions
- Inference latency: <10 ms per detection frame at 1 kHz sensor frame rate
- Threat geo-tagging: position estimate from gradient magnitude and SLAM-fused platform nav
- False alarm rate: <0.1% in dense urban EM environments after adaptive noise training
- 3U VPX processing chassis: Xilinx Versal ACAP RFSoC FPGA + NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin GPU + SBC
- QiSS wearable variant: soldier-portable AVC + NV sensing node with haptic alert on threat acquisition
QiSPS System Architecture — Interactive Block Diagram
Click any block to view technical specifications · CU-QiSPS-R3.5.25
- ▸Sensitivity: <1 fT/√Hz in spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime
- ▸Vapour species: Rb-87 (D1 795 nm) or Cs-133 (D2 852 nm) in N₂ buffer gas
- ▸Optically pumped — zero RF emission, inherently covert
- ▸Dual-channel differential mode: 60 dB common-mode noise rejection
- ▸µ-metal shielded per-cell cavity — ambient geomagnetic noise suppressed
- ▸3D vector field reconstruction at 1 kHz update rate per cell
- ▸Thermally stabilized oven: ±0.01 °C cell temp control
- ▸Array format: 16–64 AVC cells, configurable 2D/3D geometry
- ▸Real-time background subtraction: dual reference cell geomagnetic baseline
- ▸Operating range: femtotesla to microtesla — IED to vehicle detection
- ▸Thin-film NV centers in CVD diamond lattice — chip-scale integration
- ▸ODMR sensitivity: 10–30 fT/√Hz at room temperature
- ▸Geodesic dome array: 360° vector field coverage for vehicle platforms
- ▸Phased-array: 470–700 NV nodes — directional sensitivity via synthetic aperture
- ▸Silicon photonic waveguide integration for optical pump/probe routing
- ▸Detection range: concealed threats 50–80 m, armored vehicles 300–500 m (LoS)
- ▸Passive — no RF, microwave, or acoustic emission in operation
- ▸Operates in geomagnetic background without µ-metal shielding
- ▸VITA 66.5 ODMR fluorescence (637 nm) readout via optical fibre
- ▸NV QKD variant: entangled photon pair source for quantum-secure comms
- ▸Quantum Key Distribution — BB84 and E91 protocol support
- ▸Information-theoretically secure — eavesdrop-evident by physics law
- ▸VITA 66.5 LightCONEX optical interface — 1310/1550 nm SM fibre
- ▸Single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) receiver array — 16-channel
- ▸Key generation rate: >1 Mbps over 10 km free-space optical link
- ▸Post-quantum hybrid mode: QKD session key + AES-256 layering
- ▸Photon entanglement source: SPDC (spontaneous parametric down-conversion)
- ▸Platform application: inter-vehicle and vehicle-to-station secure C2 link
- ▸VITA 66.5 LightCONEX shell — MIL-DTL-38999 Series III compatible housing
- ▸P2 Expansion Plane: 3× MT-24 optical connectors — 72 total optical channels
- ▸WDM waveguides: 32 multiplexed sensor channels per single-mode fibre
- ▸24-channel SM fibre bundles for high-density sensor signal routing
- ▸Radiation-hardened optical isolators and secure multiplexers in all paths
- ▸Insertion loss: <0.5 dB per MT connection across full MIL-STD-810H temp range
- ▸MIL-DTL-38999 circular connectors for power, control, and timing I/O
- ▸Operating temperature: -55 °C to +85 °C for all optical components
- ▸Xilinx Versal ACAP or UltraScale+ RFSoC FPGA — radiation-tolerant
- ▸SOSA-aligned VPX payload profile: PAY-2F1F2U1E
- ▸WDM channel demultiplexer: 32-ch optical → digital at 250 MSPS ADC
- ▸Sensor Data Frame Parser: packet extraction and alignment per channel
- ▸Time Sync: OCXO/IRIG-B timestamp unit — 1 ns resolution
- ▸VITA 46.11 IPMC + dual IPMB-A/B management bus
- ▸PCIe Gen4/5 ×16 fat pipe data plane to GPU/AI stack
- ▸BMS interface: UART / MIL-STD-1553 / GbE for platform integration
- ▸NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin or RTX A2000 embedded GPU — in-chassis
- ▸Neural net classifier: 200+ magnetic threat signature profiles
- ▸Inference latency: <10 ms per detection frame at 1 kHz sensor rate
- ▸Multi-target tracking (MTT): JPDA / MHT — 50+ simultaneous ferromagnetic tracks
- ▸Common-mode rejection: up to 10× SNR improvement via array processing
- ▸Persistent threat ID assignment + track history across sensor array field
- ▸False alarm rate: <0.1% in dense urban electromagnetic environments
- ▸EKF/SLAM sensor fusion — real-time 6-DOF GPS-denied navigation output
- ▸SBC: MIL-STD-1553B / ARINC 429 platform interface
- ▸GPS-denied navigation: AVC/NV magnetic field + MEMS INS dead-reckoning fusion
- ▸IRIG-B time sync for distributed multi-node sensor network coordination
- ▸QKD key management engine — AES-256 session encryption
- ▸MIL-STD-461G filtered 28 VDC power input with MIL-STD-704F transient protection
- ▸VITA 46.11 health telemetry relay to platform BMS
- ▸GbE / 100 GbE network interface for C2 link and data exfiltration
- ▸NVMe encrypted secure data logger — mission recording at full sensor rate
Passive magnetic wake detection of submarines and surface vessels from UAV or HALE platforms. No radar emission — covert, unjammable. AVC array resolves magnetic displacement field at altitude.
Localized ferromagnetic threat detection at 5–15 m standoff from patrol vehicles or fixed VCPs. Identifies firearms, knives, and IED components without physical search.
Non-contact magnetic scanning of individuals in crowds at airports, transit hubs, and public venues. MTT tracks 50+ subjects simultaneously. No ionizing radiation, no RF emission.
QiSS body-worn AVC sensor node co-located with officer body camera — simultaneous optical video and magnetic threat detection. Real-time haptic alert on threat acquisition.
AVC sensor cluster integrated with fixed security cameras for dual magnetic/optical sensing. AI fuses video analytics with magnetic signature for persistent tracking and threat verification.
Walk-through AVC portal replacing conventional RF metal detection. Higher sensitivity (<1 fT), lower false alarm rate, no RF emission. Detects ceramic and polymer-framed threats missed by magnetometers.
Quantum Sensor Interconnect I/O
VITA 66.5 · SOSA AlignedQiSPS defines an open, standards-based interconnect architecture for quantum sensor integration. All sensor I/O is routed through VITA 66.5 optical connectors and MIL-DTL-38999 circular connectors, with a SOSA-aligned 3U VPX FPGA processing card at the core. The architecture supports atomic vapor cells, NV magnetometers, atomic RF receivers, and QKD transceivers as configurable external sensor modules — all on a unified optical backplane.
- VITA 66.5 LightCONEX optical interface — shell side D-G MT ferrule inserts
- P2 Expansion Plane: 3× MT-24 optical connectors — up to 72 channels
- WDM waveguides + 32-channel multiplexed optical fibres for high-density sensor signal routing
- AVC sensor output: differential analog to 16-bit ADC on-module → optical uplink at 10 Gbps aggregate
- NV ODMR readout: 637 nm MM fibre per node bundle → FPGA WDM demux → 250 MSPS ADC
- MIL-DTL-38999 Series III circular connectors for all optical and power I/O — EN3645 Class K environmental seal
- Radiation-hardened optical isolators and secure WDM multiplexers in all signal paths
- FPGA SOSA-aligned PAY-2F1F2U1E VPX card profile — Xilinx Versal / UltraScale+
- PCIe Gen4/5 ×16 fat pipe data plane to GPU/SBC stack
- VITA 46.11 IPMC system monitoring + dual IPMB-A/B management bus
- BMS interface: UART / MIL-STD-1553 / Ethernet for platform integration
- Time Sync + Timestamp Unit — OCXO/IRIG-B time source — 1 ns resolution
- Sensor Data Frame Parser: packet extraction and alignment per WDM channel
QiSPS Quantum Sensor Interconnect I/O — Interactive Diagram
Click any block for detailed specifications · VITA 66.5 · MIL-DTL-38999 · OpenVPX
AI & Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection
Edge AI · EKF/SLAM/MLCuantico's AI/ML layer translates raw AVC and NV sensor data into actionable tactical intelligence. A convolutional neural network classifier identifies magnetic threat signatures in real time, while the Sensor Fusion Engine combines magnetic, inertial, and RF inputs. Adaptive background noise attenuation, multi-target tracking, and persistent threat tagging enable deployment across fixed infrastructure (airports, CCTV, portals) and mobile platforms (patrol vehicles, UAVs, wearables).
- CNN threat classifier: 200+ magnetic signature profiles — firearms, IEDs, drone rotors, armored vehicles, bladed weapons
- AVC background noise model: adaptive geomagnetic drift compensation — real-time dual-reference cell subtraction
- Common-mode rejection processing: up to 60 dB per AVC channel pair — 10× SNR improvement over single-cell systems
- Multi-Target Tracking (MTT): JPDA/MHT persistent track — 50+ simultaneous ferromagnetic targets
- Threat tagging: persistent ID assignment across sensor nodes, camera zones, and time
- EKF/SLAM sensor fusion: 6-DOF GPS-denied navigation at 100 Hz — AVC gradient + MEMS INS
- AI-enhanced path prediction for GPS-denied dead-reckoning in GPS-contested environments
- GPU-accelerated inference: NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin / RTX A2000 on-chassis — <10 ms latency
- False alarm suppression: adaptive background EM training — <0.1% FAR in urban environments
- Wearable / CCTV fusion: haptic alert on QiSS body-worn node + CCTV AI video track fusion for co-located threats
- Neuromorphic processor integration roadmap — ultra-low-power edge AI for dismounted soldier node
- Quantum-aware swarm intelligence: multi-agent coordination for multi-vehicle / UAV sensor mesh networks
- QiSS medical variant: bio-magnetic anomaly detection for field triage — neural, cardiac, trauma signature sensing
- Continuous background BIT — self-monitoring and system health reporting to VITA 46.11 IPMC
AI Threat Detection Engine — Live Sensor View
Simulated AVC magnetic anomaly field · Click threat markers for signature details
for signature details
MTT: JPDA track ID assigned
Background BIT: nominal
for signature details
for signature details
for signature details
Future Capabilities
AVC Phased-Array Portal
16–64 AVC cell walk-through portal for airport and border control — higher sensitivity than RF magnetometers, zero ionizing radiation
QiSS Wearable Node
Helmet/vest-mounted AVC + NV sensing node for dismounted soldiers — simultaneous quantum sensing and GPS-denied navigation
Neuromorphic Processing
Brain-inspired computing for ultra-low-power edge AI and contextual situational awareness on body-worn platforms
Quantum Swarm Intelligence
Multi-agent threat correlation algorithms for self-organizing UAV/UGV sensor mesh networks with persistent target handoff
Field Medical Imaging
Non-invasive AVC/NV bio-magnetic diagnostics: neural, cardiac, and trauma signature detection for field triage
CubeSat LEO Magnetometry
AVC and NV array adapted for CubeSat LEO orbit — GPS-independent magnetic navigation reference and geomagnetic survey payload
Collaborate with Cuantico R&D
Interested in joint research, technology transfer, or integration partnerships? Our team is actively engaged with defence agencies, police forces, border control agencies, and academic institutions.