QuaNTUM: A Modular Quantum Communication Testbed for Scalable Fiber and Satellite Integration

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chénedé, Julien, Matthes, Tjorben, Krause, Josefine, Cakan, Asli, Vogl, Tobias
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Chénedé, Julien
Matthes, Tjorben
Krause, Josefine
Cakan, Asli
Vogl, Tobias
author_facet Chénedé, Julien
Matthes, Tjorben
Krause, Josefine
Cakan, Asli
Vogl, Tobias
contents Secure communication is essential for modern society, from financial transactions to critical infrastructure. As classical encryption faces threats from advancing computational power, quantum communication provides a fundamentally secure alternative based on physical laws. We present QuaNTUM (Quantum Network at the Technical University of Munich), a modular and extensible quantum communication testbed enabling scalable experiments across fiber-based campus networks and satellite-ground links. The terrestrial network connects research institutions in Garching near Munich via single-mode fibers in a star topology with polarization-maintaining components, multiplexers, and time-synchronized analysis modules. Active polarization control and real-time feedback support stable qubit transmission for high-fidelity quantum key distribution and entanglement distribution. A key feature is the integration of deterministic solid-state single-photon sources, including defects in hexagonal boron nitride and excited erbium atoms, with initial deployments on small satellites to bridge terrestrial and free-space channels. As an open-access platform, QuaNTUM enables protocol development, device benchmarking, and hybrid network research, providing a foundation for scalable quantum communication and future global quantum networks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_11314
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle QuaNTUM: A Modular Quantum Communication Testbed for Scalable Fiber and Satellite Integration
Chénedé, Julien
Matthes, Tjorben
Krause, Josefine
Cakan, Asli
Vogl, Tobias
Quantum Physics
Applied Physics
Optics
Secure communication is essential for modern society, from financial transactions to critical infrastructure. As classical encryption faces threats from advancing computational power, quantum communication provides a fundamentally secure alternative based on physical laws. We present QuaNTUM (Quantum Network at the Technical University of Munich), a modular and extensible quantum communication testbed enabling scalable experiments across fiber-based campus networks and satellite-ground links. The terrestrial network connects research institutions in Garching near Munich via single-mode fibers in a star topology with polarization-maintaining components, multiplexers, and time-synchronized analysis modules. Active polarization control and real-time feedback support stable qubit transmission for high-fidelity quantum key distribution and entanglement distribution. A key feature is the integration of deterministic solid-state single-photon sources, including defects in hexagonal boron nitride and excited erbium atoms, with initial deployments on small satellites to bridge terrestrial and free-space channels. As an open-access platform, QuaNTUM enables protocol development, device benchmarking, and hybrid network research, providing a foundation for scalable quantum communication and future global quantum networks.
title QuaNTUM: A Modular Quantum Communication Testbed for Scalable Fiber and Satellite Integration
topic Quantum Physics
Applied Physics
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11314