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arXiv:2511.05228 · IEEE International Conference on Advanced Networks and Telecommunications Systems

Adaptive Entanglement-Aware Routing for Satellite Quantum Networks under Orbital and Atmospheric Variability

Dhrumil Bhatt, Vidushi Kumar

quant-pheess.SPSubmitted Nov 7, 2025• Announced Nov 10, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

The expansion of satellite-based quantum networks requires adaptive routing mechanisms that can sustain entanglement under dynamic orbital and atmospheric conditions. Conventional schemes, often tailored to static or idealised topologies, fail to capture the combined effects of orbital motion, fading, and trust variability in inter-satellite links. This work proposes an \textit{adaptive entanglement-aware routing framework} that jointly accounts for orbital geometry, atmospheric attenuation, and multi-parameter link evaluation. The routing metric integrates fidelity, trust, and key-rate weights to maintain connectivity and mitigate loss from turbulence and fading. Monte Carlo simulations across multiple orbital densities ($ρ= 10^{-6}$~km$^{-3}$) and environmental regimes, standard atmosphere, strong turbulence, and clear-sky LEO show up to a 275\% improvement in key generation rate and a 15\% increase in effective entanglement fidelity over existing adaptive methods. The framework achieves sub-linear path-length scaling with network size and remains robust for fading variances up to $σ_{\mathrm{fade}}=0.1$, demonstrating strong potential for future global quantum constellations.

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The expansion of satellite-based quantum networks requires adaptive routing mechanisms that can sustain entanglement under dynamic orbital and atmospheric conditions. Conventional schemes, often tailored to static or idealised topologies, fail to capture the combined effects of orbital motion, fading, and trust variability in inter-satellite links. This work proposes an \textit{adaptive entanglement-aware routing framework} that jointly accounts for orbital geometry, atmospheric attenuation, and multi-parameter link evaluation. The routing metric integrates fidelity, trust, and key-rate weights to maintain connectivity and mitigate loss from turbulence and fading. Monte Carlo simulations across multiple orbital densities (ρ=10−6ρ= 10^{-6}ρ=10−6~km−3^{-3}−3) and environmental regimes, standard atmosphere, strong turbulence, and clear-sky LEO show up to a 275% improvement in key generation rate and a 15% increase in effective entanglement fidelity over existing adaptive methods. The framework achieves sub-linear path-length scaling with network size and remains robust for fading variances up to σfade=0.1σ_{\mathrm{fade}}=0.1σfade​=0.1, demonstrating strong potential for future global quantum constellations.
Quantum entanglement routing in dynamic Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks is important for achieving scalable and high-fidelity quantum communication. However, the dynamic characteristics of satellite network topology, limited quantum resources, and strict coherence time constraints pose significant challenges to reliable entanglement routing. An entanglement distribution analysis model for this unique environment is critical and helpful for entanglement routing research. We address the fundamental challenge of establishing and maintaining quantum entanglement links between satellites operating in free space, where links are subject to both transmission losses and quantum memory decoherence. This paper presents a comprehensive Markov chain model with a state space defined by link storage age and physical distance for analyzing entanglement distribution in noisy dynamic LEO satellite quantum networks. We construct transition matrices that capture system dynamics under varying request arrival rates, and derive analytical expressions for key performance metrics, including request satisfaction rate, average waiting time, link utilization efficiency, and average consumed link fidelity. Our analysis reveals that the critical trade-offs of higher request rates lead to faster link consumption with higher fidelity but potentially lower satisfaction rates, while lower request rates allow longer storage times at the cost of lower fidelity of increased decoherence effect. Moreover, this paper proves it is reasonable to leave out polarization rotation when the transmission distance is very short (40-50 km). In summary, this work provides theoretical foundations for designing and optimizing quantum entanglement distribution strategies in satellite networks, with applications to global-scale quantum communications.
Quantum networks are essential to establishing long-distance entanglements for many advanced quantum applications. Recent breakthroughs have opened up the possibility of creating a satellite-assisted global-scale quantum network. This paper proposes LACE, a Loss-Aware Constellation Design framework for a new type of satellite-assisted passive-optical quantum networks. The goal of LACE is to ensure lowest possible worst-case loss for ground-to-ground entanglement distribution with a fixed number of satellites. Considering high photon loss and beam propagation, we first develop a detailed loss model, incorporating factors such as beam propagation and diffraction, atmospheric turbulence, and beam truncation during end-to-end entanglement distribution. We then design an algorithm to estimate the end-to-end loss given a specific network constellation design, and propose a constellation design framework to find a suitable constellation design with as low end-to-end loss as possible. Using LACE, we explore diverse satellite constellations under practical constraints, which reveals critical insights into how network parameters and link connectivity affect end-to-end entanglement loss. Notably, we find that a constellation with 25 orbits and 32 satellites per orbit with an altitude 550 km can establish a channel with approximately 30 dB loss, corresponding to only 150 km of ground fiber distance, between ground stations separated by nearly 20,000 km. These insights provide concrete guidance for future constellation design, paving the way toward global-scale entanglement distribution.
Establishing information-theoretically secure communication between arbitrary locations on Earth is a central goal of quantum networking, for which space-based distribution of quantum entanglement is a leading approach. Modelling and analysis of the performance of satellite entanglement pair distribution is therefore important for the architecture and design of future constellations and space systems. However, entanglement-based quantum key distribution in the absence of quantum repeaters, is especially prone to finite-key effects due to low coincident count rates compared to trusted-node single-path links. Quantifying these effects under realistic orbital conditions is therefore essential for the design of practical satellite quantum communication systems. Here, we develop a high-fidelity model of pair distribution from a low-Earth-orbit satellite that captures orbital dynamics, elevation-dependent loss, background noise, and extraneous detector effects. Integrating this with a finite-key security framework for the BBM92 protocol, we optimise the secret key length across different overpass geometries, orbital altitudes, and optical ground station (OGS) separations. We show that secure key generation remains feasible in early clear daytime conditions using baseline parameters representative of current technologies, while showing that modest system improvements could further extend daytime operation. Finally, we evaluate the annual secret key performance for representative intercity-scale OGS pairings. Our results provide quantitative performance bounds and practical design guidelines for near-term entanglement-based satellite QKD, enabling informed trade-offs between satellite payload complexity, ground infrastructure, and achievable secure key throughput.
Abstract Quantum repeaters and satellite-based optical links are complementary technological approaches to overcome the exponential photon loss in optical fibers and thus allow quantum communication on a global scale. We analyze architectures which combine these approaches and use satellites as quantum repeater nodes to distribute entanglement to distant optical ground stations. Here we simulate dynamic, three-dimensional ground station passes, going beyond previous studies that typically consider static satellite links. For this, we numerically solve the equations of motion of the dynamic system consisting of three satellites in low Earth orbit. The model of the optical link takes into account atmospheric attenuation, single-mode fiber coupling, beam wandering and broadening, as well as adaptive optics effects. We derive analytical expressions for the Bell state measurement and associated error rates for quantum memory assisted communications, including retrieval efficiency and state coherence. We consider downlink and uplink architectures for continental and intercontinental connections and evaluate the impact of satellite altitude and inter-satellite distance on the expected entanglement swapping rate. Our simulation model enables us to design different orbital configurations for the satellite constellation and analyze the annual performance of the quantum repeater under realistic conditions.
The rapid expansion of autonomous satellite constellations and interplanetary missions demands ultra-secure, decentralized communication frameworks resistant to both classical and quantum attacks. This paper proposes an Entanglement-Assisted Quantum Cryptographic Framework (EAQCF) that integrates quantum entanglement-based key distribution, Decentralized Quantum Trust Consensus (DQTC), and hybrid classical-quantum routing for resilient space communication. The framework enables autonomous key generation and validation among satellite nodes without ground station dependency. Simulation results demonstrate 35-40% improvement in quantum key generation rate, 97.8% successful key exchange at 1,500 km, and effective isolation of compromised nodes through dynamic trust scoring. Compared to conventional QKD systems, EAQCF reduces latency by 23% and maintains 94.6% success rates even under high-noise conditions at 2,000 km. The proposed architecture provides a scalable foundation for secure lunar relays, deep-space missions, and future quantum internet infrastructure.
The deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations is an important step toward global-scale quantum networking. However, evaluating satellite quantum network protocols under spatiotemporal orbital dynamics and quantum physical constraints remains computationally expensive and challenging. In this paper, we propose QUASAR, a lightweight simulator for evaluating entanglement distribution in satellite-based quantum networks. QUASAR provides a decoupled architecture that integrates dynamic orbital topologies, time-varying optical transmittance, and quantum memory decoherence into network- layer attributes. To demonstrate its capabilities, we abstract and implement two representative hardware architectures: Simultaneous Downlink and On-Orbit Stitching. We further introduce an Entanglement Distribution Rate (EDR)-Aware Spatiotemporal Routing (EASR) heuristic as a reference workload. Our case study examines how QUASAR supports different satellite architectures, routing workloads, realistic orbital traces, concurrent requests, and scalable event-driven execution. With over 85% lower network-layer update latency than continuous polling, QUASAR provides a practical and extensible framework for future satellite quantum network protocol evaluation.