Improving Free-Space Continuous Variable Quantum Key Distribution With Adaptive Optics
Date
Authors
Sayat, Mikhael T
Birch, Marcus
Copeland, Michael
Jager, Elisa
Thearle, Oliver
Bennet, Francis
Lam, Ping Koy
Rattenbury, Nicholas J
Cater, John E
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Abstract
A significant performance inhibitor of free-space continuous variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) is turbulence, which gives rise to wavefront phase and amplitude aberrations. We demonstrate that in a turbulent channel, during coherent state transmissions from a continuous-wave laser, that the interferometric visibility between the local oscillator (LO) and quantum signal decreases. A solution to this is incorporating adaptive optics at the receiver to correct phase and amplitude aberrations in the wavefronts of the received quantum signal. We demonstrate the increased interferometric visibility and decrease in its fluctuations in a 60 cm and 30 m turbulent channel when using adaptive optics through channel characterisation. In an ideal CVQKD system, we show that this leads to more precise and larger positive secret key rates, improving the performance of free-space CVQKD in turbulent channels.Description
Keywords
Adaptive optics, Continuous variable, Quantum key distribution, Turbulence, 5108 Quantum Physics, 40 Engineering, 4009 Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware, 51 Physical Sciences, 5102 Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Source
Scientific Reports, ISSN: 2045-2322 (Print); 2045-2322 (Online), Nature Portfolio, 16(1), 6160-. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-36805-7
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