Nanosatellite experiments to enable future space-based QKD missions
Robert Bedington, Xueliang Bai, Edward Truong-Cao, Yue Chuan Tan, Kadir Durak, Aitor Villar Zafra, James A. Grieve, Daniel K. L. Oi, Alexander Ling · EPJ Quantum Technology · 2016
We present a programme for establishing the space worthiness of highly-miniaturised, polarisation-entangled, photon pair sources using CubeSat nanosatellites. Once demonstrated, the photon pair sources can be deployed on more advanced satellites that are equipped with optical links to establish a global space-based quantum key distribution network. In doing so, this work will also bring experimental tests of the overlap between quantum and relativistic regimes closer to realisation.