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arXiv:1804.05022 · Quantum Science and Technology

Towards quantum communication from global navigation satellite system

Luca Calderaro, Costantino Agnesi, Daniele Dequal, Francesco Vedovato, Matteo Schiavon, Alberto Santamato, V. Luceri, G. Bianco, Giuseppe Vallone, Paolo Villoresi

Published Dec 19, 2018• 73 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Satellite-based quantum communication (QC) is an invaluable resource for the realization of a quantum network at the global scale. In this regard, the use of satellites well beyond the low Earth orbit gives the advantage of long communication time with a ground station. However, high-orbit satellites pose a great technological challenge due to the high diffraction losses of the optical channel, and the experimental investigation of such quantum channels is still lacking. Here, we report on the first experimental exchange of single photons from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) at a slant distance of 20 000 km, by exploiting the retroreflector array mounted on GLONASS satellites. We also observed the predicted temporal spread of the reflected pulses due to the geometrical shape of the array. Finally, we estimated the requirements needed for an active source on a GNSS satellite, aiming towards QC from GNSS with state-of-the-art technology.

DOI
10.1088/2058-9565/aaefd4

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Abstract Satellite-based quantum communication (QC) is an invaluable resource for the realization of a quantum network at the global scale. In this regard, the use of satellites well beyond the low Earth orbit gives the advantage of long communication time with a ground station. However, high-orbit satellites pose a great technological challenge due to the high diffraction losses of the optical channel, and the experimental investigation of such quantum channels is still lacking. Here, we report on the first experimental exchange of single photons from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) at a slant distance of 20 000 km, by exploiting the retroreflector array mounted on GLONASS satellites. We also observed the predicted temporal spread of the reflected pulses due to the geometrical shape of the array. Finally, we estimated the requirements needed for an active source on a GNSS satellite, aiming towards QC from GNSS with state-of-the-art technology.
Extending quantum communication to space environments would enable us to perform fundamental experiments on quantum physics as well as applications of quantum information at planetary and interplanetary scales. Here, we report on the first experimental study of the conditions for the implementation of the single-photon exchange between a satellite and an Earth-based station. We built an experiment that mimics a single photon source on a satellite, exploiting the telescope at the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory of the Italian Space Agency to detect the transmitted photons. Weak laser pulses, emitted by the ground-based station, are directed toward a satellite equipped with cube-corner retroreflectors. These reflect a small portion of the pulse, with an average of less-than-one photon per pulse directed to our receiver, as required for faint-pulse quantum communication. We were able to detect returns from satellite Ajisai, a low-Earth orbit geodetic satellite, whose orbit has a perigee height of 1485 km.
Extending the single-photon transmission distance is a basic requirement for the implementation of quantum communication on a global scale. In this work we report the single-photon exchange from a medium Earth orbit satellite (MEO) at more than 7000km7000\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{km}7000km of slant distance to the ground station at the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory. The single-photon transmitter was realized by exploiting the corner cube retroreflectors mounted on the LAGEOS-2 satellite. Long duration of data collection is possible with such altitude, up to 43 min in a single passage. The mean number of photons per pulse (${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{\mathrm{sat}}$) has been limited to 1 for 200 s, resulting in an average detection rate of 3.0counts/s3.0\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{counts}/\text{s}3.0counts/s and a signal-to-noise ratio of 1.5. The feasibility of single-photon exchange from MEO satellites paves the way to tests of quantum mechanics in moving frames and to global quantum Information.
We report on several experiments of single photon transmission from space to ground realized at the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory (MLRO) of the Italian Space Agency in Matera (Italy). We simulated a source of coherent pulses attenuated to the single photon level by exploiting laser ranging satellites equipped with corner-cube retroreflectors (CCRs). By such technique we report QC with qubits encoded in polarization from low-Earth-orbit (LEO) at distance up to 2500km from the ground station, achieving a low quantum bit error ratio (QBER) for different satellites. The same technique is exploited to demonstrate single photon exchange with a medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) satellite, Lageos-2 at more than 7000 km of distance from the MLRO station. In both experiments the temporal jitter of the received counts is of the order of 1.2ns FWHM due to the intrinsic jitter of the single photon detectors. In order to improve the discrimination of signal from the background and reaching distances corresponding to GEO satellites, we improved the detection scheme by using fast single photon detectors with 40 ps FWHM jitter. We report improved single photon detection jitter from Beacon-C and Ajisai, obtaining 340 ps FWHM in the best case.
Long-distance quantum communication can usher in hack-proof communication, enable precision quantum sensing technologies, and ultimately yield a quantum Internet. Existing protocols for global-scale quantum communication demand high-performance quantum memories, which have limited communication distance. This study proposes a chain of satellites in low Earth orbit to directly transmit photonic qubits through space, using the satellites like optical lenses to counter diffraction loss. Simulations and analysis of different quantum communication protocols using this relay system show the feasibility of building a global quantum network of only satellites, without requiring quantum memories.
Free-space quantum communication with satellites opens a promising avenue for global secure quantum network and large-scale test of quantum foundations. Recently, numerous experimental efforts have been carried out towards this ambitious goal. However, one essential step--transmitting single photons from the satellite to the ground with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at realistic environments--remains experimental challenging. Here, we report a direct experimental demonstration of the satellite-ground transmission of a quasi-single-photon source. In the experiment, single photons (~0.85 photon per pulse) are generated by reflecting weak laser pulses back to earth with a cube-corner retro-reflector on the satellite CHAMP, collected by a 600-mm diameter telescope at the ground station, and finally detected by single-photon counting modules after 400-km free-space link transmission. With the help of high accuracy time synchronization, narrow receiver field-of-view and high-repetition-rate pulses (76 MHz), a SNR of better than 16:1 is obtained, which is sufficient for a secure quantum key distribution. Our experimental results represent an important step towards satellite-ground quantum communication.
Satellite quantum communications have rapidly evolved in the past few years, culminating in the proposal, development, and deployment of satellite missions dedicated to quantum key distribution and the realization of fundamental tests of quantum mechanics in space. However, in comparison with the more mature technology based on fiber optics, several challenges are still open, such as the capability of detecting, with high temporal accuracy, single photons coming from orbiting terminals. Satellite laser ranging, commonly used to estimate satellite distance, could also be exploited to overcome this challenge. For example, high repetition rates and a low background noise can be obtained by determining the time-of-flight of faint laser pulses that are retro-reflected by geodynamics satellites and then detected on Earth at the single-photon level. Here we report an experiment with regard to achieving a temporal accuracy of approximately 230 ps in the detection of an optical signal of few photons per pulse reflected by satellites in medium Earth orbit, at a distance exceeding 7500 km, by using commercially available detectors. Lastly, the performance of the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory is evaluated in terms of the detection rate and the signal-to-noise ratio for satellite quantum communications.