Atmospheric Quantum Channels with Weak and Strong Turbulence

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive model for atmospheric optical signal transmission that accounts for turbulence-induced effects, enabling better understanding and prediction of signal fading in free-space quantum and classical communication.

Contribution

It introduces the elliptic-beam approximation model that applies across various turbulence regimes, unifying analysis of atmospheric effects on optical signals.

Findings

Derived the probability distribution for atmospheric transmittance including key turbulence effects.

Model applicable to weak, moderate, and strong turbulence regimes.

Enhances understanding of signal fading in atmospheric optical communication.

Abstract

The free-space transfer of high-fidelity optical signals between remote locations has many applications, including both classical and quantum communication, precision navigation, clock synchronization, etc. The physical processes that contribute to signal fading and loss need to be carefully analyzed in the theory of light propagation through the atmospheric turbulence. Here we derive the probability distribution for the atmospheric transmittance including beam wandering, beam shape deformation, and beam-broadening effects. Our model, referred to as the elliptic-beam approximation, applies to weak, weak-to-moderate, and strong turbulence and hence to the most important regimes in atmospheric communication scenarios.