Satellite-mediated quantum atmospheric links Article Swipe
YOU?
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· 2019
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.99.053830
· OA: W2914347517
The establishment of quantum communication links over a global scale is\nenabled by satellite nodes. We examine the influence of Earth's atmosphere on\nthe performance of quantum optical communication channels with emphasis on the\ndownlink scenario. We derive the geometrical path length between a moving low\nEarth orbit satellite and an optical ground station as a function of the ground\nobserver's zenith angle, his geographical latitude, and the meridian\ninclination angle of the satellite. We show that the signal distortions due to\nregular atmospheric refraction, atmospheric absorption, and turbulence have a\nstrong dependence on the zenith angle. The observed saturation of transmittance\nfluctuations for large zenith angles is explained. The probability distribution\nof the transmittance for slant propagation paths is derived, which enables us\nto perform the security analysis of decoy state protocols implemented via\nsatellite-mediated links.\n
