Quantum Interference Across an Astronomical Distance

Bran Purvis, Randy Lafler, R Nicholas Lanning

Abstract Interferometric telescopes are instrumental for the imaging of distant astronomical bodies, but optical loss heavily restricts how far telescopes in an array can be placed from one another, leading to a bottleneck in the resolution that can be achieved. An entanglement-assisted approach to this problem has been proposed by (Gottesman et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 070503), as a possible solution to the issue of optical loss if the entangled state can be distributed across long distances by employing a quantum repeater network. In this paper, we propose an alternative entanglement-assisted scheme that interferes a two-mode squeezed vacuum state with the astronomical state and then measures the resulting state by means of homodyne detection. We use a continuous-variable approach and compute the Fisher information with respect to the mutual coherence of the astronomical source. We show that when the Fisher information is observed cumulatively at the rate at which successful measurements can be performed, our proposed scheme does not outperform the traditional direct detection approach or the entanglement-assisted approach of GJC12.

Jeeva S. Anandan

Bernard F. Burke

Yoko Hasebe

Abstract: Interplanetary exploration, crewed lunar and Martian settlements, and deep-space astronomical observatories demand unforgeable, high-bandwidth communication fabrics immune to spoofing, eavesdropping, and catastrophic data corruption. While near-Earth quantum key distribution (QKD) is viable across low Earth orbit (LEO, h ≤ 1,000 km), extending quantum entanglement to interplanetary baselines (R ∈ [0.1, 40] AU) confronts three extreme physical barriers: (1) catastrophic geometric photon dilution governed by the inverse-square law (η_geo ∝ R^-2), dropping received single-photon fluxes below 10^-15 over astronomical baselines; (2) massive general relativistic spacetime delays, Shapiro gravitational time dilation, and solar gravitational redshift that destroy temporal coincidence windows; and (3) solar wind plasma turbulence, interplanetary coronal mass ejections, and Faraday rotation that induce severe spatial and polarization decoherence. This monograph establishes the theoretical framework, mathematical formulation, and solid-state engineering architecture for PHOENIX_DEEP, an interplanetary quantum communications network designed for deep-space sovereign exploration: (1) We model the optical amplification of the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) at heliocentric distances b ≥ 547.5 AU, deriving a wave-optical brightness gain µ_SGL ≈ 10^5–10^6 that converts diverging single-photon beams into coherent pencil modes; (2) We derive an exact relativistic metric incorporating post-Newtonian (PPN) solar gravitational potential and Shapiro time delays, establishing a predictive feedforward temporal coincidence gate operating across multi-hour propagation regimes; (3) We design solid-state quantum memory relay nodes deployed at Sun-Earth and Earth-Moon Lagrange points (L2, L4, L5) utilizing europium-doped yttrium silicate (Eu^3+:Y2SiO5) crystals achieving optical coherence times T_2 > 1 hour under zero-first-order-Zeeman (ZEFOZ) fields; and (4) We formulate an asynchronous device-independent quantum key distribution (DI-QKD) protocol verifying Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality violations (S ≥ 2.724) across astronomical distances. Our architecture achieves a continuous secret key rate exceeding 11.6 kbps at Earth-Mars quadrature (1.5 AU) and 185.6 kbps across 16-channel DWDM links, establishing an unassailable physical-layer communication infrastructure for interplanetary human civilization.

Ivars Peterson

Jincheng Zhang

Quantum Resonance Field Mapping (QRFM) is a novel methodology for mapping quantum resonance fields across vast distances, offering the potential to detect and manipulate subtle quantum correlations spanning astronomical distances. This research investigates a novel quantum entanglement measurement technique that circumvents direct particle interaction, leveraging a "quantum echo" algorithm to amplify and analyze subtle correlations. The core claim is that QRFM provides a fundamentally new approach to probing and manipulating quantum fields, offering a pathway to enhanced detection and potentially, controlled manipulation of quantum phenomena. This paper details the theoretical framework, experimental design, and initial results of the QRFM system, highlighting its potential impact on fundamental physics and astrophysics.