Quantum communications in a moderate-to-strong turbulent space

Abstract

Since the invention of the laser in the 60s, one of the most fundamental communication channels has been the free-space optical channel. For this type of channel, a number of effects generally need to be considered, including diffraction, refraction, atmospheric extinction, pointing errors and, most importantly, turbulence. Because of all these adverse features, the free-space optical (FSO) channel is more difficult to study than a stable fiber-based link. For the same reasons, only recently it has been possible to establish the ultimate performances achievable in quantum communications via free-space channels, together with practical rates for continuous variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD). Differently from previous literature, mainly focused on the regime of weak turbulence, this work considers the FSO channel in the more challenging regime of moderate-to-strong turbulence, where effects of beam widening and breaking are more important than beam wandering. This regime may occur in long-distance free-space links on the ground, in uplink to high-altitude platform systems (HAPS) and, more interestingly, in downlink from near-horizon satellites. In such a regime we rigorously investigate ultimate limits for quantum communications and show that composable keys can be extracted using CV-QKD.