Global quantum networks for secure communication can be realized using large fleets of satellites distributing entangled photon pairs between ground-based nodes. Because the cost of a satellite depends on its size, the smallest satellites will be most cost-effective. This Letter describes a miniaturized, polarization entangled, photon-pair source operating on board a nano-satellite. The source violates Bell’s inequality with a Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt parameter of 2.60 ± 0.06 . This source can be combined with optical link technologies to enable future quantum communication nano-satellite missions.

We implement a self-interference technique for determining the separation between two incoherent point sources. This method relies on image inversion interferometry and when used with the appropriate data analytics, it yields an estimate of the separation with finite-error, including the case when the sources overlap completely. The experimental results show that the technique has a good tolerance to noise and misalignment, making it an interesting consideration for high resolution instruments in microscopy or astronomy.

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