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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Satellite quantum communication towards GEO distances

Giuseppe Vallone, Daniele Dequal, Marco Tomasin, Matteo Schiavon, Francesco Vedovato, Davide Bacco, Simone Gaiarin, G. Bianco, V. Luceri, Paolo Villoresi

Published Apr 29, 2016• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1117/12.2228613

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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.
Quantum communication (QC), namely, the faithful transmission of generic quantum states, is a key ingredient of quantum information science. Here we demonstrate QC with polarization encoding from space to ground by exploiting satellite corner cube retroreflectors as quantum transmitters in orbit and the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory of the Italian Space Agency in Matera, Italy, as a quantum receiver. The quantum bit error ratio (QBER) has been kept steadily low to a level suitable for several quantum information protocols, as the violation of Bell inequalities or quantum key distribution (QKD). Indeed, by taking data from different satellites, we demonstrate an average value of QBER=4.6% for a total link duration of 85 s. The mean photon number per pulse μ_{sat} leaving the satellites was estimated to be of the order of one. In addition, we propose a fully operational satellite QKD system by exploiting our communication scheme with orbiting retroreflectors equipped with a modulator, a very compact payload. Our scheme paves the way toward the implementation of a QC worldwide network leveraging existing receivers.
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.
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.
Quantum communication (QC), namely, the faithful transmission of generic quantum states, is a key ingredient of quantum information science.Here we demonstrate QC with polarization encoding from space to ground by exploiting satellite corner cube retroreflectors as quantum transmitters in orbit and the Matera Laser Ranging Observatory of the Italian Space Agency in Matera, Italy, as a quantum receiver.The quantum bit error ratio (QBER) has been kept steadily low to a level suitable for several quantum information protocols, as the violation of Bell inequalities or quantum key distribution (QKD).Indeed, by taking data from different satellites, we demonstrate an average value of QBER ¼ 4.6% for a total link duration of 85 s.The mean photon number per pulse μ sat leaving the satellites was estimated to be of the order of one.In addition, we propose a fully operational satellite QKD system by exploiting our communication scheme with orbiting retroreflectors equipped with a modulator, a very compact payload.Our scheme paves the way toward the implementation of a QC worldwide network leveraging existing receivers.
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.