Space qualified nanosatellite electronics platform for photon pair experiments

TL;DR

This paper presents a space-qualified nanosatellite electronics platform designed for quantum optics experiments, enabling polarization-entangled photon pair production on a 1U CubeSat with autonomous operation and low power consumption.

Contribution

It introduces a complete, low-power, space-qualified electronics platform for quantum optics experiments on nanosatellites, including optical support and autonomous communication capabilities.

Findings

Platform supports polarization-entangled photon experiments in space.

Consumes less than 1.5W power during operation.

Successfully integrates quantum optics components in a nanosatellite environment.

Abstract

We report the design and implementation of a complete electronics platform for conducting a quantum optics experiment that will be operated on board a 1U CubeSat (a 10 x 10 x 10 cm satellite). The quantum optics experiment is designed to produce polarization-entangled photon pairs using non-linear optical crystals and requires opto-electronic components such as a pump laser, single photon detectors and liquid crystal based polarization rotators in addition to passive optical elements. The platform provides mechanical support for the optical assembly. It also communicates autonomously with the host satellite to provide experiment data for transmission to a ground station. A limited number of commands can be transmitted from ground to the platform enabling it to switch experimental modes. This platform requires less than 1.5W for all operations, and is space qualified. The implementation of this electronics platform is a major step on the road to operating quantum communication experiments using nanosatellites.