A reconfigurable entanglement distribution network suitable for connecting multiple ground nodes with a satellite

Area of Science:

• Quantum communication
• Satellite networks
• Quantum key distribution

Background:

• Satellite-based quantum communication is crucial for long-distance applications.
• Connecting multiple ground users during limited satellite passes presents a challenge.
• Efficient network configurations are needed for city-wide quantum networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel dual-functionality network architecture for satellite-based quantum communication.
• To address the challenge of efficiently connecting multiple ground users within a city-wide network during brief satellite passes.
• To investigate the performance of this architecture for quantum key distribution.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulation of a pulsed hyper-entangled photon source.
• Analysis of a dual-functionality network: multipoint-to-point during satellite pass, pair-wise ground network otherwise.
• Evaluation of network performance using time-multiplexing for the satellite receiver and frequency-multiplexing for ground nodes.

Main Results:

• Favorable scaling was observed with the proposed network configuration.
• The dual-functionality allows for efficient entanglement distribution during satellite passes.
• The network can be reconfigured for ground-based quantum key distribution when the satellite is not accessible.

Conclusions:

• The proposed architecture offers scalability, simple reconfigurability, and integration with existing fiber networks.
• This approach is a promising candidate for quantum communication involving multiple ground nodes and a satellite.
• It represents a significant step towards global-scale interconnection of ground nodes via quantum networks.