Thomas Jennewein

In satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD), the number of secret bits that can be generated in a single satellite pass over the ground station is severely restricted by the pass duration and the free-space optical channel loss. High channel loss may decrease the signal-to-noise ratio due to background noise, reduce the number of generated raw key bits, and increase the quantum bit error rate (QBER), all of which have detrimental effects on the output secret key length. Under finite-size security analysis, higher QBER increases the minimum raw key length necessary for non-zero secret key length extraction due to less efficient reconciliation and post-processing overheads. We show that recent developments in finite key analysis allow three different small-satellite-based QKD projects CQT-Sat, UK-QUARC-ROKS, and QEYSSat to produce secret keys even under very high loss conditions, improving on estimates based on previous finite key bounds. This suggests that satellites in low Earth orbit can satisfy finite-size security requirements, but remains challenging for satellites further from Earth. We analyse the performance of each mission to provide an informed route toward improving the performance of small-satellite QKD missions. We highlight the short and long-term perspectives on the challenges and potential future developments in small-satellite-based QKD and quantum networks. In particular, we discuss some of the experimental and theoretical bottlenecks, and improvements necessary to achieve QKD and wider quantum networking capabilities in daylight and at different altitudes.

We present a reconfigurable quantum network architecture which enables the interconnectivity between a satellite node and a multitude of users on the ground. The network has dual-functionality : during the satellite-pass the network adopts a point-to-multipoint topology where all the users communicate with the satellite in an uplink configuration. Outside of a satellite pass, the signal is rerouted through telecom fibre to form a fully-connected network on the ground. To minimize the hardware requirements, we consider a multiplexed pulsed entangled photon source combined with a frequency-to-time mapping. We evaluate the potential of the proposed network configuration by simulating its performance for different quantum key distribution scenarios. Our results show that high key rates can be achieved in spite of limited resources on the satellite. An experimental verification of the protocol is under way, and we will present the latest findings. The promising scalability and easy integration make this network architecture a good candidate for future quantum communication networks.

Quantum dot-based entangled photon sources are promising candidates for quantum key distribution (QKD), as they can in principle emit deterministically, with high brightness and low multiphoton contribution. However, quantum dots (QD) often inherently possess a fine structure splitting (FSS). Since the entangled photonic state in the presence of non-zero FSS is oscillating, one must settle for a lower efficiency source through temporal post-selection or a lower measured entanglement fidelity. In both cases, the overall key rate is reduced. Our QKD analysis shows that this trade-off can be overcome by constructing a time-resolved QKD protocol where all photon pairs emitted by a QD with non-zero FSS can be used in secret key generation. This protocol works only when the detection system's temporal resolution is much smaller than the FSS period. By implementing our protocol, higher key rates can be achieved as compared to previous QKD experiments with QD entangled photon pair sources. Additionally, unlike previous security analyses that assume perfect qubit states, we rigorously bound the effect of any multi-photon components of the optical state on the key rate, which is more applicable to practical implementations.