Optical Ground Station Diversity for Satellite Quantum Key Distribution in Ireland

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Anipeddi, Naga Lakshmi, Horgan, Jerry, Oi, Daniel K L, Kilbane, Deirdre
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Anipeddi, Naga Lakshmi
Horgan, Jerry
Oi, Daniel K L
Kilbane, Deirdre
author_facet Anipeddi, Naga Lakshmi
Horgan, Jerry
Oi, Daniel K L
Kilbane, Deirdre
contents Space quantum communications is a potential means for establishing global secure communications and quantum networking. Despite pioneering demonstrations of satellite quantum key distribution, considerable challenges remain for wide deployment such as the local effects of the atmosphere on the transmission of single-photon level quantum signals. As part of Ireland's efforts to establish quantum links with the rest of Europe and further afield, we present a preliminary study of the feasibility of satellite quantum key distribution taking into account geographic and weather effects on the space-Earth channel. Weather data over 5 years covering 4 locations across Ireland were used to assess performance and the prospects of optical ground station (OGS) geographic diversity to improve service availability. Despite significant cloud cover that may reduce the performance of a single OGS location, the use of a 4-OGS network can provide up to 45% improvement for a single satellite exploiting anti-correlation in cloud cover, though most gains are achieved with 2 or 3 OGSs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_08657
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optical Ground Station Diversity for Satellite Quantum Key Distribution in Ireland
Anipeddi, Naga Lakshmi
Horgan, Jerry
Oi, Daniel K L
Kilbane, Deirdre
Quantum Physics
Space quantum communications is a potential means for establishing global secure communications and quantum networking. Despite pioneering demonstrations of satellite quantum key distribution, considerable challenges remain for wide deployment such as the local effects of the atmosphere on the transmission of single-photon level quantum signals. As part of Ireland's efforts to establish quantum links with the rest of Europe and further afield, we present a preliminary study of the feasibility of satellite quantum key distribution taking into account geographic and weather effects on the space-Earth channel. Weather data over 5 years covering 4 locations across Ireland were used to assess performance and the prospects of optical ground station (OGS) geographic diversity to improve service availability. Despite significant cloud cover that may reduce the performance of a single OGS location, the use of a 4-OGS network can provide up to 45% improvement for a single satellite exploiting anti-correlation in cloud cover, though most gains are achieved with 2 or 3 OGSs.
title Optical Ground Station Diversity for Satellite Quantum Key Distribution in Ireland
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.08657