Free-space quantum links under diverse weather conditions

Vasylyev, D.; Семенов, А. А.; Vogel, W.; Günthner, Kevin; Thurn, Andreas; Bayraktar, Ömer; Marquardt, Ch.

doi:10.1103/physreva.96.043856

Cited by 81 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…The fluctuations of the relative permittivity of the atmospheric air can be statistically modeled [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. The probability distribution of the parameters in equation (2) can then be analytically estimated, as shown in [21,22]. A brief recap of the derivation and the main results is presented in appendix A.…”

Section: Free-space Optical Links and The Elliptic Beam Approximationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, the results are summarized and discussed in section 6. The appendix starts with a recap of the results of [21,22] (appendix A) and their application to the problem at hand (appendix B). Then two models for the estimation of the stray light satellite links [11,23] are presented in appendix C. Appendix D is devoted to the definition of the QKD protocols we use in section 4 and the expression of the correspondent key rates.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Satellite-based links for quantum key distribution: beam effects and weather dependence

2019

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The establishment of a world-wide quantum communication network relies on the synergistic integration of satellite-based links and fiber-based networks. The first are helpful for long-distance communication, as the photon losses introduced by the optical fibers are too detrimental for lengths greater than about 200 km. This work aims at giving, on the one hand, a comprehensive and fundamental model for the losses suffered by the quantum signals during the propagation along an atmospheric free-space link. On the other hand, a performance analysis of different quantum key distribution (QKD) implementations is performed, including finite-key effects, focusing on different interesting practical scenarios. The specific approach that we chose allows to precisely model the contribution due to different weather conditions, paving the way towards more accurate feasibility studies of satellite-based QKD missions. IntroductionQuantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum communication in general have the potential to revolutionise the way we communicate confidential information over the internet. The natural carriers for quantum information are photons, that are already widely used in classical networks of optical fibers to achieve high communication rates. Unfortunately, even though enormous improvements have been obtained in the last years [1, 2], scaling quantum communication protocols over long distances is very challenging, due to the losses experienced during the propagation inside the optical fibers. Several schemes for the realization of quantum repeaters have been proposed in recent years, that could allow to bridge long distances and naturally be implemented inside a quantum communication network [3][4][5][6][7]. Considering the important technological hurdles that quantum repeaters should overcome before becoming useful, satellite-based free-space links look like the most practical way to achieve long-distance QKD in the short term [8]. They can take advantage of the satellite technology and the optical communication methods developed in the last decades in the classical case. Various feasibility studies had addressed this topic in the last twenty years [8][9][10][11] and several experiments have definitely proved that the technology involved is ready for deployment [12][13][14][15][16].Optical satellite-based links have the important drawback of being strongly dependent on the weather conditions [17][18][19][20]. The presence of turbulent eddies and scattering particles like haze or fog generates random fluctuations of the relative permittivity of the air, on different length-and time-scales. This phenomenon affects the light propagation in a complicated way, inducing random deviations and deformations of any optical beam sent through the atmosphere. It results in reduced transmittance, because of geometrical losses due to the finite collection aperture, and random modifications of the phase front. A comprehensive model of these effects is then necessary, in order to precisely evaluate the performance of the link w...

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Section: Free-space Optical Links and The Elliptic Beam Approximationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Satellite-based links for quantum key distribution: beam effects and weather dependence

2019

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“…Recently, an elliptical beam model [17,18] considering beam wandering, broadening and deformation has been established for quantum light through the atmospheric channel. The states of entanglement-based CVQKD through fading channels have been deduced, and the secret key rate without considering detection efficiency and noise has also been calculated [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric effects on continuous-variable quantum key distribution

et al. 2018

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Compared to fiber continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD), atmospheric link offers the possibility of a broader geographical coverage and more flexible transmission. However, there are many negative features of the atmospheric channel that will reduce the achievable secret key rate, such as beam extinction and a variety of turbulence effects. Here we show how these factors affect performance of CVQKD, by considering our newly derived key rate formulas for fading channels, which involves detection imperfections, thus form a transmission model for CVQKD. This model can help evaluate the feasibility of experiment scheme in practical applications. We found that performance deterioration of horizontal link within the boundary layer is primarily caused by transmittance fluctuations (including beam wandering, broadening, deformation, and scintillation), while transmittance change due to pulse broadening under weak turbulence is negligible. Besides, we also found that communication interruptions can also cause a perceptible key rate reduction when the transmission distance is longer, while phase excess noise due to arrival time fluctuations requires new compensation techniques to reduce it to a negligible level. Furthermore, it is found that performing homodyne detection enables longer transmission distances, whereas heterodyne allows higher achievable key rate over short distances. heterodyne detection. Based on the deduced key rate formula, we consider three key parameters that affect the key rate. First, the transmittance change due to beam extinction [21] and turbulence effects (temporal pulse broadening, beam wandering, broadening, deformation, and scintillation) [22] are considered, where extinction likes the attenuation in an optical fiber. Our results demonstrate that beam wandering, broadening and deformation are the main turbulence effects affecting the achievable key rate. Second, we consider the communication interruption caused by angle-of-arrival fluctuations [20], and we found that the interruption probability is noticeable in the case of long-distance transmission. Third, we estimate the excess noise caused by pulse arrival time fluctuations which is found to be quite large. Based on the impacts mentioned above, we conduct a performance analysis.This paper is organized as follows. In section 2, we deduce the achievable secret key rate over the atmospheric channel. In section 3, with the result of section 2, we show how atmospheric effects affect the performance of GMCS CVQKD. In section 4, We consider all the implications mentioned in section 3 and perform a performance analysis. Finally we come to the conclusion and discussion in section 5.

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“…The model aided the study of nonclassical properties of radiation fields and developing of Gaussian entanglement preservation techniques in turbulent channels [52] and was confirmed experimentally [19,53]. The model has also been successfully applied in the regimes of weak, weak-to-moderate and strong turbulence, and can incorporate effects of haze and rain [54]. Furthermore, the applied model can be used in conjunction with experimentally employed beam tracking techniques.…”

Section: Fading Modelmentioning

confidence: 71%

Squeezing-enhanced quantum key distribution over atmospheric channels

2020

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We propose the Gaussian continuous-variable quantum key distribution using squeezed states in the composite channels including atmospheric propagation with transmittance fluctuations. We show that adjustments of signal modulation and use of optimal feasible squeezing can be sufficient to significantly overcome the coherent-state protocol and drastically improve the performance of quantum key distribution in atmospheric channels, also in the presence of additional attenuating and noisy channels. Furthermore, we consider examples of atmospheric links of different lengths, and show that optimization of both squeezing and modulation is crucial for reduction of protocol downtime and increase of secure atmospheric channel distance. Our results demonstrate unexpected advantage of fragile squeezed states of light in the free-space quantum key distribution applicable in daylight and stable against atmospheric turbulence.Quantum key distribution (QKD) [1-5] is one of the major practical applications of quantum information theory, which provides trusted parties (Alice and Bob) with the methods (protocols) for provably secure distribution of secret cryptographic keys so that security of the key can be verified using fundamental principles of quantum physics. One of the main requirements of QKD is the availability of a dedicated quantum channel capable of transmitting coherent quantum signals between the sending and receiving stations. In the case of fiber-optical channels, being the typical media for QKD implementations, this means a dedicated optical fiber, possibly with co-existing classical or quantum signals. However, the dedicated fiber-optical infrastructure can be unavailable, e.g., in the case of movable stations, necessity of quick channel deployment or in hostile environments. Moreover, the extra-long-distance inter-continental quantum communication over satellites relies on the free-space channels [6]. Therefore, the free-space channels are an important physical medium for QKD implementations.The main issue faced by the discrete-variable (DV) QKD protocols, based on single-photon states or weak coherent pulses and the direct photon counting, is the sensitivity of the detectors to the background light, which adds noise to the measured data. This renders standard DV QKD protocols practically unusable in the daylight conditions unless spectral filtering is applied, which adds unwanted additional loss and complexity to the set-up. At the same time, applicability and efficiency are crucial for QKD as they directly affect the secret communication, based on the quantum-secure keys. Alternatively, continuous-variable (CV) QKD protocols [7-10], based on the multiphoton coherent [11][12][13][14][15] or squeezed states [16] and homodyne quadrature detection using off-the-shelf equipment, can overcome this limitation. Indeed, a homodyne detector, which matches a signal to a narrow-band local oscillator (LO) beam, being the phase reference for the measurement, can intrinsically filter out the background radiation and make CV Q...

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Free-space quantum links under diverse weather conditions

Cited by 81 publications

References 72 publications

Satellite-based links for quantum key distribution: beam effects and weather dependence

Satellite-based links for quantum key distribution: beam effects and weather dependence

Atmospheric effects on continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Squeezing-enhanced quantum key distribution over atmospheric channels

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