Abstract
Global quantum networks for secure communication can be realized using large fleets of satellites distributing entangled photon pairs between ground-based nodes. Because the cost of a satellite depends on its size, the smallest satellites will be most cost-effective. This Letter describes a miniaturized, polarization entangled, photon-pair source operating on board a nano-satellite. The source violates Bell’s inequality with a Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt parameter of 2.60 ± 0.06 . This source can be combined with optical link technologies to enable future quantum communication nano-satellite missions.
Highlights
Quantum entanglement describes non-local correlation between multiple bodies such that their wavefunction is irreducible to a product of individual wavefunctions
Entanglement correlations [1,2,3,4,5] have emerged as an essential resource in quantum technologies, and entanglement is used in various fields such as computation [6], sensing [7], and communication [8]
Near-term applications include quantum key distribution (QKD), where entanglement can be used to quantify knowledge gained by an adversary [8] and to enable device-independent encryption [9]
Summary
The pump produces horizontally polarized photon pairs in two β-barium borate (BBO-1 and BBO-2) crystals (cut angle, 28.8◦; length, 6 mm). E i φ|Vs Vi ), where s (i) denotes the signal (idler) photon wavelength, and φ is the relative phase difference between photon pairs born in BBO-1 and BBO-2. The relative angle of the pump beam and the optical axis of the BBO crystals must be kept within 100 μrad in order to control the phase of the generated photon pairs (see Fig. S1 in Supplement 1). This can be achieved without active alignment using titanium flexure stages.
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