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arXiv:1707.04932 · Physical Review A

Free-space quantum links under diverse weather conditions

Dmytro Vasylyev, А. А. Семенов, W. Vogel, Kevin Günthner, Andreas Thurn, Ömer Bayraktar, Christoph Marquardt

Published Oct 24, 2017• 89 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Free-space optical communication links are promising channels for establishing secure quantum communication. Here we study the transmission of nonclassical light through a turbulent atmospheric link under diverse weather conditions, including rain or haze. To include these effects, the theory of light transmission through atmospheric links in the elliptic-beam approximation presented by Vasylyev et al. [D. Vasylyev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 090501 (2016)] is further generalized. It is demonstrated, with good agreement between theory and experiment, that low-intensity rain merely contributes additional deterministic losses, whereas haze also introduces additional beam deformations of the transmitted light. Based on these results, we study theoretically the transmission of quadrature squeezing and Gaussian entanglement under these weather conditions.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.96.043856

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Free-space optical communication links are promising channels for establishing secure quantum communication. Here we study the transmission of nonclassical light through a turbulent atmospheric link under diverse weather conditions, including rain or haze. To include these effects, the theory of light transmission through atmospheric links in the elliptic-beam approximation presented by Vasylyev et al. [D. Vasylyev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 090501 (2016)] is further generalized. It is demonstrated, with good agreement between theory and experiment, that low-intensity rain merely contributes additional deterministic losses, whereas haze also introduces additional beam deformations of the transmitted light. Based on these results, we study theoretically the transmission of quadrature squeezing and Gaussian entanglement under these weather conditions.
Atmospheric turbulence is one of the lead disturbance factors for free-space quantum communication. The quantum states of light in such channels are affected by fluctuating losses characterized by the probability distribution of transmittance (PDT). We obtain the PDT for different horizontal links via numerical simulations of light transmission through the atmosphere. The results are compared with analytical models: the truncated log-normal distribution, the beam-wandering model, the elliptic-beam approximation, and the model based on the law of total probability. Their applicability is shown to be strongly dependent on the receiver aperture radius. We introduce an empirical model based on the Beta distribution, which is in good agreement with numerical simulations for a wide range of channel parameters. However, there are still scenarios where none of the above analytical models fits the numerically simulated data. The numerical simulation is then used to analyze the transmission of quadrature-squeezed light through free-space channels.
Many fundamental and applied experiments in quantum optics require transferring nonclassical states of light through large distances. In this context the free-space channels are a very promising alternative to optical fibers as they are mobile and enable to establish communications with moving objects, using satellites for global quantum links. For such channels the atmospheric turbulence is the main disturbing factor. The statistical properties of the fluctuating transmittance through the turbulent atmosphere are given by the probability distribution of transmittance (PDT). We derive the consistent PDTs for the atmospheric quantum channels by step-by-step inclusion of various atmospheric effects such as beam wandering, beam broadening and deformation of the beam into elliptic form, beam deformations into arbitrary forms. We discuss the applicability of PDT models for different propagation distances and optical turbulence strengths in the case when the receiver module has an annular aperture. We analyze the optimal detection and correction strategies which can improve the channel transmission characteristics. The obtained results are important for the design of optical experiments including postselection and adaptive strategies and for the security analysis of quantum communication protocols in freespace.
Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication technology can cater to various types of connectivity requirements within optical networks, including core, edge, and access networks. However, the performance of FSO communication links can be adversely affected by severe atmospheric conditions, such as turbulence and weather-related factors. In this study, we have investigated the benefits of photon entangled 16-QAM- FSO link in improving the performance of FSO communication under diverse weather and atmospheric turbulence conditions. The efficient implementation of a practical secure quantum communication network may revolutionize the terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication both form speed and security point of view.
One of the most rapidly developing communication technologies is quantum communication. Quantum Free-Space Optical Communication (FSO) provides unlimited bandwidth for data transmission. A key barrier to FSO links is associated with the losses caused by atmospheric absorption and scattering of molecules and aerosols. In the present study, we analyze the performance of a free-space classical link for 650 nm, 785 nm, 850 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths for a link range of 0.5 Km and 50 Km. The losses due to atmospheric components such as rain, fog, snow and turbulence are predicted for different wavelengths. Also, we presented similar analysis for free space quantum link using difference frequency generation(DFG) method for both short range (0.5 Km) and long-range link (50 Km) under diverse weather conditions. It is done by combining weak wavelengths of 650 nm, 785 nm, 850 nm and 1550 nm, along with a tunable pump LASER (Krypton) to generate IR B waves (1400 nm - 3000 nm). The total atmospheric losses with DFG is compared with the losses generated without using DFG.
Free-space quantum links have clear practical advantages which are unaccessible with fiber-based optical channels — establishing satellite-mediated quantum links, communications through hardly accessible regions, and communications with moving objects. We consider the effect of the atmospheric turbulence on properties such as quadrature squeezing, entanglement, Bell nonlocality, and nonclassical statistics of photocounts, which are resources for quantum communications. Depending on the characteristics of the given channels, we study the efficiency of different techniques, which enable to preserve these quantum features post-, pre-selection, and adaptive methods. Furthermore, we show that copropagation of nonclassically-correlated modes, which is used in some communication scenarios, has clear advantages in free-space links.
The free-space transfer of high-fidelity optical signals between remote locations has many applications, including both classical and quantum communication, precision navigation, clock synchronization, etc. The physical processes that contribute to signal fading and loss need to be carefully analyzed in the theory of light propagation through the atmospheric turbulence. Here we derive the probability distribution for the atmospheric transmittance including beam wandering, beam shape deformation, and beam-broadening effects. Our model, referred to as the elliptic beam approximation, applies to weak, weak-to-moderate, and strong turbulence and hence to the most important regimes in atmospheric communication scenarios.