Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks
Abstract Quantum communication has seen rapid progress towards practical large-scale networks, with quantum key distribution (QKD) spearheading this development. While fibre-based systems have been shown to be well suited for metropolitan scales, suitable fibre infrastructure may not always be in pl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | npj Quantum Information |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-023-00754-0 |
| _version_ | 1797451891958874112 |
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| author | Andrej Kržič Sakshi Sharma Christopher Spiess Uday Chandrashekara Sebastian Töpfer Gregor Sauer Luis Javier González-Martín del Campo Teresa Kopf Stefan Petscharnig Thomas Grafenauer Roland Lieger Bernhard Ömer Christoph Pacher René Berlich Thomas Peschel Christoph Damm Stefan Risse Matthias Goy Daniel Rieländer Andreas Tünnermann Fabian Steinlechner |
| author_facet | Andrej Kržič Sakshi Sharma Christopher Spiess Uday Chandrashekara Sebastian Töpfer Gregor Sauer Luis Javier González-Martín del Campo Teresa Kopf Stefan Petscharnig Thomas Grafenauer Roland Lieger Bernhard Ömer Christoph Pacher René Berlich Thomas Peschel Christoph Damm Stefan Risse Matthias Goy Daniel Rieländer Andreas Tünnermann Fabian Steinlechner |
| author_sort | Andrej Kržič |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Quantum communication has seen rapid progress towards practical large-scale networks, with quantum key distribution (QKD) spearheading this development. While fibre-based systems have been shown to be well suited for metropolitan scales, suitable fibre infrastructure may not always be in place. Here, we make the case for an entanglement-based free-space quantum network as a practical and efficient alternative for metropolitan applications. We developed a deployable free-space QKD system and demonstrated its use in realistic scenarios. For a representative 1.7-km free-space link, we showcase its ad hoc deployability and achieve secure key rates of up to 5.7 kbps, with 2.5 kbps in direct noon sunlight. By extrapolating experimental data, we show that kbps key rates are achievable even for 10-km distances and multi-user scenarios. We anticipate that our work will establish free-space networks as a viable solution for metropolitan applications and an indispensable complementary building block in the future global quantum internet. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:00:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63cc6fa7c61d4277a5be0d3ffca7bc4c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-6387 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:00:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Quantum Information |
| spelling | doaj.art-63cc6fa7c61d4277a5be0d3ffca7bc4c2023-11-26T13:55:26ZengNature Portfolionpj Quantum Information2056-63872023-09-01911910.1038/s41534-023-00754-0Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networksAndrej Kržič0Sakshi Sharma1Christopher Spiess2Uday Chandrashekara3Sebastian Töpfer4Gregor Sauer5Luis Javier González-Martín del Campo6Teresa Kopf7Stefan Petscharnig8Thomas Grafenauer9Roland Lieger10Bernhard Ömer11Christoph Pacher12René Berlich13Thomas Peschel14Christoph Damm15Stefan Risse16Matthias Goy17Daniel Rieländer18Andreas Tünnermann19Fabian Steinlechner20Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringAIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyAIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyAIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyAIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyAIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringFraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision EngineeringAbstract Quantum communication has seen rapid progress towards practical large-scale networks, with quantum key distribution (QKD) spearheading this development. While fibre-based systems have been shown to be well suited for metropolitan scales, suitable fibre infrastructure may not always be in place. Here, we make the case for an entanglement-based free-space quantum network as a practical and efficient alternative for metropolitan applications. We developed a deployable free-space QKD system and demonstrated its use in realistic scenarios. For a representative 1.7-km free-space link, we showcase its ad hoc deployability and achieve secure key rates of up to 5.7 kbps, with 2.5 kbps in direct noon sunlight. By extrapolating experimental data, we show that kbps key rates are achievable even for 10-km distances and multi-user scenarios. We anticipate that our work will establish free-space networks as a viable solution for metropolitan applications and an indispensable complementary building block in the future global quantum internet.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-023-00754-0 |
| spellingShingle | Andrej Kržič Sakshi Sharma Christopher Spiess Uday Chandrashekara Sebastian Töpfer Gregor Sauer Luis Javier González-Martín del Campo Teresa Kopf Stefan Petscharnig Thomas Grafenauer Roland Lieger Bernhard Ömer Christoph Pacher René Berlich Thomas Peschel Christoph Damm Stefan Risse Matthias Goy Daniel Rieländer Andreas Tünnermann Fabian Steinlechner Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks npj Quantum Information |
| title | Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks |
| title_full | Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks |
| title_fullStr | Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks |
| title_short | Towards metropolitan free-space quantum networks |
| title_sort | towards metropolitan free space quantum networks |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-023-00754-0 |
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