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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

Airborne demonstration of a quantum key distribution receiver payload

Christopher J. Pugh, Sarah Kaiser, Jean-Philippe Bourgoin, Jeongwan Jin, Nigar Sultana, Sascha Agne, Elena Anisimova, Vadim Makarov, Eric Choi, Brendon L. Higgins, Thomas D. Jennewein

Published Jun 1, 2017• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Summary form only given. Demonstrations of quantum key distribution (QKD) [1] with moving platforms are important to prove the viability of future satellite implementations. Thus far these demonstrations of QKD to aircraft have operated exclusively in the downlink configuration [2, 3], where the quantum source and transmitter are placed on the airborne platform. While this approach has the potential for higher key rates, it is more complex and is not as flexible as an uplink configuration, which places the quantum receiver on the airborne platform [4]. Here we present the first successful demonstration of QKD to a receiver on a moving aircraft.

DOI
10.1109/cleoe-eqec.2017.8087396

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•Aug 30, 2016•0 citations
Summary form only given. Demonstrations of quantum key distribution (QKD) [1] with moving platforms are important to prove the viability of future satellite implementations. Thus far these demonstrations of QKD to aircraft have operated exclusively in the downlink configuration [2, 3], where the quantum source and transmitter are placed on the airborne platform. While this approach has the potential for higher key rates, it is more complex and is not as flexible as an uplink configuration, which places the quantum receiver on the airborne platform [4]. Here we present the first successful demonstration of QKD to a receiver on a moving aircraft.
Abstract Satellite-based quantum terminals are a feasible way to extend the reach of quantum communication protocols such as quantum key distribution (QKD) to the global scale. To that end, prior demonstrations have shown QKD transmissions from airborne platforms to receivers on ground, but none have shown QKD transmissions from ground to a moving aircraft, the latter scenario having simplicity and flexibility advantages for a hypothetical satellite. Here, we demonstrate QKD from a ground transmitter to a receiver prototype mounted on an airplane in flight. We have specifically designed our receiver prototype to consist of many components that are compatible with the environment and resource constraints of a satellite. Coupled with our relocatable ground station system, optical links with distances of 3–10 km were maintained and quantum signals transmitted while traversing angular rates similar to those observed of low-Earth-orbit satellites. For some passes of the aircraft over the ground station, links were established within 10 s of position data transmission, and with link times of a few minutes and received quantum bit error rates typically ≈3%–5% , we generated secure keys up to 868 kb in length. By successfully generating secure keys over several different pass configurations, we demonstrate the viability of technology that constitutes a quantum receiver satellite payload and provide a blueprint for future satellite missions to build upon.
Remarkable achievements have been witnessed in free-space quantum key distribution (QKD), which acts as an available approach to extend the transmission range of quantum communications.The feasibility of transmitting qubits through the free-space channel with the aid of moving platforms like satellites, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been verified.In view of the limited working time and resource consumption of the satellite-based QKD and the last-mile challenges of connecting satellite nodes with terrestrial networks, the airborne QKD is expected to provide flexible and relay links for the large-scale integrated network.This paper reviews the recent significant progress of QKD based on aircraft or UAVs, highlights their critical techniques, and prospects the future of airborne quantum communications.
Remarkable progress has been made in satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD), which can effectively provide QKD service even at the intercontinental scale and construct an ultralong-distance global quantum network.But there are still some places where terrestrial fiber and ground stations cannot be constructed, like harsh mountainous areas and air space above the sea.So the airborne platform is expected to replace the ground station and provide flexible and relay links for the large-scale integrated communication network.However, the photon transmission rate would be randomly reduced, owing to the randomly distributed boundary layer that surrounds the surface of the aircraft when the flight speed is larger than 0.3 Ma.Previous research of airborne QKD with boundary layer effects is mainly under the air-to-ground scenario in which the aircraft is a transmitter, while the satellite-to-aircraft scenario is rarely reported.In this article, we propose a performance evaluation scheme of satellite-to-aircraft QKD with boundary layer effects in which the aircraft is the receiver.With common experimental settings, the boundary layer would introduce a ∼31 dB loss to the transmitted photons, decrease ∼47% of the quantum communication time, and decrease ∼51% of the secure key rate, which shows that the aero-optical effects caused by the boundary layer cannot be ignored.Our study can be performed in future airborne quantum communication designs.
Technological realities limit terrestrial quantum key distribution (QKD) to single-link distances of a few hundred kilometers. One promising avenue for global-scale quantum communication networks is to use low-Earth-orbit satellites. Here we report the first demonstration of QKD from a stationary transmitter to a receiver platform traveling at an angular speed equivalent to a 600 km altitude satellite, located on a moving truck. We overcome the challenges of actively correcting beam pointing, photon polarization and time-of-flight. Our system generates an asymptotic secure key at 40 bits/s.
As more aspects of modern society depend on digital communication, we increasingly rely on infrastructure that ensures the privacy and security of this communication. Classically, this has been provided by cryptographic protocols such as public-key encryption, in which secrets called keys are exchanged between different parties to enable secure communication. The rapid development of quantum algorithms which violate the assumptions of these protocols, however, poses a security challenge to modern cryptography. \n \nQuantum resources can also be used to strengthen cryptographic security, particularly the security of key exchange protocols. This approach, QKD, can be implemented by encoding in quantum systems such as single photons sent through free-space or a fiber. Fiber based QKD devices are already commercially available, but are fundamentally limited to distributing keys over a few hundred kilometers. To address this distance limitation, research QKD systems are being developed to exchange keys through free-space to satellites. This work considers practical challenges to building and testing both types of QKD devices. \n \nFirstly, we consider modeling and mission analysis for airborne demonstrations of QKD to stratospheric balloons and aircraft to simulate a satellite. Based on the mission parameters available for both platforms, we found aircraft platforms were more promising for testing prototype QKD satellite systems. We developed a mission planning tool to help design the flight geometries for testing the device. \n \nNext, we developed three new components for a QKD satellite prototype. The requirements for electro-optical devices in orbit are very different from lab environments, mandating new approaches to designing QKD devices. We developed a quad single photon detector package to meet the requirements for free-space links to low earth orbit. Moreover, we designed and built optical systems for analyzing the polarization of photons and an adaptive optics unit to increase the efficiency of collecting the encoded photons. All three devices were tested in conditions that simulated the time and loss of a satellite pass. \n \nFinally, we demonstrated a laser damage attack on a live commercial QKD system. Our attack injected additional optical power into the sender device to modify security-critical components. Specifically, our attack damaged the PIN diodes which monitor the encoded photon number, reducing their sensitivity or completely blinding them. Our damage could compromise the entire key, and was performed during system operation while raising no alarms. \n \nIn summary, this work shows the trade-offs of testing QKD payloads on different airborne platforms, develops components for a satellite QKD payload, and demonstrates a security vulnerability in a commercial QKD system that can fully compromise the key. These results help address practical challenges to building QKD devices, improving the security of modern cryptography.