Near-space flight of a correlated photon system

Tang, Zhongkan; Chandrasekara, Rakhitha; Sean, Yau Yong; Cheng, Cliff; Wildfeuer, Christoph F.; Ling, Alexander

doi:10.1038/srep06366

Cited by 34 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Utilizing orbiting satellites therefore has potential to allow the establishment of global QKD networks, with "quantum" satellites acting as intermediaries. Such satellites could operate as untrusted nodes linking two ground stations simultaneously [14,15], or trusted nodes connecting any two ground stations on Earth at different times [16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. The majority of such analyses propose a quantum downlink, where photons are generated at the satellite and transmitted to receivers on the ground.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Demonstration of a Quantum Key Distribution Receiver Payload

Pugh

Kaiser

Bourgoin

et al. 2017

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

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Abstract. Satellite-based quantum terminals are a feasible way to extend the reach of quantum communication protocols such as quantum key distribution (QKD) to the global scale. To that end, prior demonstrations have shown QKD transmissions from airborne platforms to receivers on ground, but none have shown QKD transmissions from ground to a moving aircraft, the latter scenario having simplicity and flexibility advantages for a hypothetical satellite. Here we demonstrate QKD from a ground transmitter to a receiver prototype mounted on an airplane in flight. We have specifically designed our receiver prototype to consist of many components that are compatible with the environment and resource constraints of a satellite. Coupled with our relocatable ground station system, optical links with distances of 3-10 km were maintained and quantum signals transmitted while traversing angular rates similar to those observed of low-Earth-orbit satellites. For some passes of the aircraft over the ground station, links were established within 10 s of position data transmission, and with link times of a few minutes and received quantum bit error rates typically ≈3-5 %, we generated secure keys up to 868 kb in length. By successfully generating secure keys over several different pass configurations, we demonstrate the viability of technology that constitutes a quantum receiver satellite payload and provide a blueprint for future satellite missions to build upon.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Demonstration of a Quantum Key Distribution Receiver Payload

Pugh

Kaiser

Bourgoin

et al. 2017

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

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“…Avoiding the use of movable parts or mechanical elements is particularly desirable in certain circumstances, e.g., space applications [1]- [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability of Liquid Crystals in Space Photonics

Otón

Perez-Fernandez²,

Lopez-Molina³

et al. 2015

IEEE Photonics J.

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Passive liquid crystal (LC) devices are becoming an interesting alternative for the manufacturing of photonic devices in spatial applications. These devices feature a number of advantages in this environment, the lack of movable parts, and of exposed electronics being among the most outstanding ones. Nevertheless, the LC material itself must demonstrate its endurance under the harsh conditions of space missions, including launch and, perhaps, landing. In this paper, we present the environmental testing of an LC device for space applications. A number of LC based beam steering devices were manufactured, characterized, and tested in a series of destructive and nondestructive tests defined by the European Space Agency (ESA). The purpose was to evaluate the behavior and possible degradation of the LC response in simulated space environments. Device fabrication and testing was done within an ESA-funded project, whose purpose was the design, manufacturing, and characterization of adaptive optical elements, as well as the execution of qualification tests on the devices in space-simulated conditions.

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“…A source of photon pairs is placed on board a satellite in Earth orbit that will then either act as a trusted relay between two ground nodes, or beam one photon to one ground station and its pair photon to a different ground station. An additional advantage of space-based entanglement systems is that they allow fundamental tests of the possible overlap between quantum and relativistic regimes for which operation in space is necessary [16].Despite many preliminary studies on space quantum systems [11,12,15,[17][18][19][20][21] there has been limited published work demonstrating relevant technology in space [12,21] due to the prohibitive cost of traditional space mission development that has hindered in-situ experimental progress. In particular, very little work has been done on adapting bright and efficient (but bulky and delicate) laboratory-based photon pair sources into space-qualified systems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite many preliminary studies on space quantum systems [11,12,15,[17][18][19][20][21] there has been limited published work demonstrating relevant technology in space [12,21] due to the prohibitive cost of traditional space mission development that has hindered in-situ experimental progress. In particular, very little work has been done on adapting bright and efficient (but bulky and delicate) laboratory-based photon pair sources into space-qualified systems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Generation and Analysis of Correlated Pairs of Photons aboard a Nanosatellite

et al. 2016

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Satellites carrying sources of entangled photons could establish a global quantum network, enabling private encryption keys between any two points on Earth. Despite numerous proposals, demonstration of space-based quantum systems has been limited due to the cost of traditional satellites. We are using very small spacecraft to accelerate progress. We report the in-orbit operation of a photon pair source aboard a 1.65 kg nanosatellite and demonstrate pair generation and polarization correlation under space conditions. The in-orbit photon correlations exhibit a contrast of 97 ± 2%, matching ground-based tests. This pathfinding mission overcomes the challenge of demonstrating in-orbit performance for the components of future entangled photon experiments. Ongoing operation establishes the in-orbit lifetime of these critical components. More generally, this demonstrates the ability for nanosatellites to enable faster progress in space-based research.Progress in quantum computers and their threat to public key cryptography is driving new forms of encryption [1]. One promising alternative is quantum key distribution (QKD) which provides provable security underpinned by quantum physics [2]. In particular, QKD can be achieved using pairs of photons that possess fundamental correlations known as quantum entanglement [3]. Practically, entanglement-based QKD enables a reduction in the number of trusted components [4]. A global quantum network for distributing entangled photon pairs will enable strong encryption keys to be shared between any two points on Earth.Entanglement-based QKD is a mature technology [5][6][7] compared with other entanglement-assisted applications. However, it shares a common range limit with more conventional prepare-send-measure QKD schemes [8]. Metropolitan scale QKD networks are possible using optical fiber or free-space links, but fiber losses and ground-level atmospheric turbulence preclude extending these networks to a global scale. Quantum repeater technology that can overcome these losses is still in the starting stages of being researched [9].Scalable global entanglement distribution can be achieved using a constellation of satellites equipped with spaceto-ground optical links [10]. The technology behind these links are relatively well-documented (e.g. [11][12][13]). Most proposals [14] employ a downlink to minimize transmission loss [15]. A source of photon pairs is placed on board a satellite in Earth orbit that will then either act as a trusted relay between two ground nodes, or beam one photon to one ground station and its pair photon to a different ground station. An additional advantage of space-based entanglement systems is that they allow fundamental tests of the possible overlap between quantum and relativistic regimes for which operation in space is necessary [16].Despite many preliminary studies on space quantum systems [11,12,15,[17][18][19][20][21] there has been limited published work demonstrating relevant technology in space [12,21] due to the prohibitive cost of traditional sp...

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Near-space flight of a correlated photon system

Cited by 34 publications

References 17 publications

Airborne Demonstration of a Quantum Key Distribution Receiver Payload

Airborne Demonstration of a Quantum Key Distribution Receiver Payload

Reliability of Liquid Crystals in Space Photonics

Generation and Analysis of Correlated Pairs of Photons aboard a Nanosatellite

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