_version_ 1866911032641847296
author Li, Yang
Cai, Wen-Qi
Ren, Ji-Gang
Wang, Chao-Ze
Yang, Meng
Zhang, Liang
Wu, Hui-Ying
Chang, Liang
Wu, Jin-Cai
Jin, Biao
Xue, Hua-Jian
Li, Xue-Jiao
Liu, Hui
Yu, Guang-Wen
Tao, Xue-Ying
Chen, Ting
Liu, Chong-Fei
Luo, Wen-Bin
Zhou, Jie
Yong, Hai-Lin
Li, Yu-Huai
Li, Feng-Zhi
Jiang, Cong
Chen, Hao-Ze
Wu, Chao
Tong, Xin-Hai
Xie, Si-Jiang
Zhou, Fei
Liu, Wei-Yue
Liu, Nai-Le
Li, Li
Xu, Feihu
Cao, Yuan
Yin, Juan
Shu, Rong
Wang, Xiang-Bin
Zhang, Qiang
Wang, Jian-Yu
Liao, Sheng-Kai
Peng, Cheng-Zhi
Pan, Jian-Wei
author_facet Li, Yang
Cai, Wen-Qi
Ren, Ji-Gang
Wang, Chao-Ze
Yang, Meng
Zhang, Liang
Wu, Hui-Ying
Chang, Liang
Wu, Jin-Cai
Jin, Biao
Xue, Hua-Jian
Li, Xue-Jiao
Liu, Hui
Yu, Guang-Wen
Tao, Xue-Ying
Chen, Ting
Liu, Chong-Fei
Luo, Wen-Bin
Zhou, Jie
Yong, Hai-Lin
Li, Yu-Huai
Li, Feng-Zhi
Jiang, Cong
Chen, Hao-Ze
Wu, Chao
Tong, Xin-Hai
Xie, Si-Jiang
Zhou, Fei
Liu, Wei-Yue
Liu, Nai-Le
Li, Li
Xu, Feihu
Cao, Yuan
Yin, Juan
Shu, Rong
Wang, Xiang-Bin
Zhang, Qiang
Wang, Jian-Yu
Liao, Sheng-Kai
Peng, Cheng-Zhi
Pan, Jian-Wei
contents A quantum network provides an infrastructure connecting quantum devices with revolutionary computing, sensing, and communication capabilities. As the best-known application of a quantum network, quantum key distribution (QKD) shares secure keys guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics. A quantum satellite constellation offers a solution to facilitate the quantum network on a global scale. The Micius satellite has verified the feasibility of satellite quantum communications, however, scaling up quantum satellite constellations is challenging, requiring small lightweight satellites, portable ground stations and real-time secure key exchange. Here we tackle these challenges and report the development of a quantum microsatellite capable of performing space-to-ground QKD using portable ground stations. The quantum microsatellite features a payload weighing approximately 23 kg, while the portable ground station weighs about 100 kg. These weights represent reductions by more than an order and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to the Micius satellite. Additionally, we multiplex bidirectional satellite-ground optical communication with quantum communication, enabling key distillation and secure communication in real-time. Using the microsatellite and the portable ground stations, we demonstrate satellite-based QKD with multiple ground stations and achieve the sharing of up to 0.59 million bits of secure keys during a single satellite pass. The compact quantum payload can be readily assembled on existing space stations or small satellites, paving the way for a satellite-constellation-based quantum and classical network for widespread real-life applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_10994
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Microsatellite-based real-time quantum key distribution
Li, Yang
Cai, Wen-Qi
Ren, Ji-Gang
Wang, Chao-Ze
Yang, Meng
Zhang, Liang
Wu, Hui-Ying
Chang, Liang
Wu, Jin-Cai
Jin, Biao
Xue, Hua-Jian
Li, Xue-Jiao
Liu, Hui
Yu, Guang-Wen
Tao, Xue-Ying
Chen, Ting
Liu, Chong-Fei
Luo, Wen-Bin
Zhou, Jie
Yong, Hai-Lin
Li, Yu-Huai
Li, Feng-Zhi
Jiang, Cong
Chen, Hao-Ze
Wu, Chao
Tong, Xin-Hai
Xie, Si-Jiang
Zhou, Fei
Liu, Wei-Yue
Liu, Nai-Le
Li, Li
Xu, Feihu
Cao, Yuan
Yin, Juan
Shu, Rong
Wang, Xiang-Bin
Zhang, Qiang
Wang, Jian-Yu
Liao, Sheng-Kai
Peng, Cheng-Zhi
Pan, Jian-Wei
Quantum Physics
A quantum network provides an infrastructure connecting quantum devices with revolutionary computing, sensing, and communication capabilities. As the best-known application of a quantum network, quantum key distribution (QKD) shares secure keys guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics. A quantum satellite constellation offers a solution to facilitate the quantum network on a global scale. The Micius satellite has verified the feasibility of satellite quantum communications, however, scaling up quantum satellite constellations is challenging, requiring small lightweight satellites, portable ground stations and real-time secure key exchange. Here we tackle these challenges and report the development of a quantum microsatellite capable of performing space-to-ground QKD using portable ground stations. The quantum microsatellite features a payload weighing approximately 23 kg, while the portable ground station weighs about 100 kg. These weights represent reductions by more than an order and two orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to the Micius satellite. Additionally, we multiplex bidirectional satellite-ground optical communication with quantum communication, enabling key distillation and secure communication in real-time. Using the microsatellite and the portable ground stations, we demonstrate satellite-based QKD with multiple ground stations and achieve the sharing of up to 0.59 million bits of secure keys during a single satellite pass. The compact quantum payload can be readily assembled on existing space stations or small satellites, paving the way for a satellite-constellation-based quantum and classical network for widespread real-life applications.
title Microsatellite-based real-time quantum key distribution
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10994