A Unified Framework for UAV-Based Free-Space Quantum Links: Beam Shaping and Adaptive Field-of-View Control

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive analytical framework for UAV-based quantum communication links, addressing physical impairments and proposing adaptive field-of-view control to optimize secure quantum key distribution performance.

Contribution

It introduces a grid-based photon capture probability model and derives analytical expressions for key rate and QBER, enabling efficient system evaluation and optimization.

Findings

Secure QKD requires beam waists below 10 cm and sub-milliradian tracking.

Adaptive FoV tuning balances noise rejection and misalignment tolerance.

Framework aids design and deployment of airborne quantum communication systems.

Abstract

This paper develops a comprehensive analytical framework for modeling and performance evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)-to-ground quantum communication links, incorporating key physical impairments such as beam divergence, pointing errors at both transmitter and receiver, atmospheric attenuation, turbulence-induced fading, narrow field-of-view (FoV) filtering, and background photon noise. To overcome the limitations of conventional wide-beam assumptions, we introduce a grid-based approximation for photon capture probability that remains accurate under tightly focused beams. Analytical expressions are derived for the quantum key generation rate and quantum bit error rate (QBER), enabling fast and reliable system-level evaluation. Our results reveal that secure quantum key distribution (QKD) over UAV-based free-space optical (FSO) links requires beam waists below 10 cm and sub-milliradian tracking precision to achieve Mbps-level key rates and QBER below $10^{-3}$. Additionally, we highlight the critical role of receiver FoV in balancing background noise rejection and misalignment tolerance, and propose adaptive FoV tuning strategies under varying illumination and alignment conditions. The proposed framework provides a tractable and accurate tool for the design, optimization, and deployment of next-generation airborne quantum communication systems.