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 Jennewein

TL;DR
This paper demonstrates a ground-to-air quantum key distribution link using a satellite-compatible receiver prototype on an aircraft, showing the potential for global quantum communication via satellite.
Contribution
It presents the first successful ground-to-air QKD demonstration with a satellite-compatible receiver, paving the way for future satellite-based quantum communication.
Findings
Quantum links maintained over 3-10 km distances.
Secure keys up to 868 kb generated during flights.
Quantum bit error rates remained around 3-5%.
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…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
