Researchers in Canada have taken a significant step towards enabling secure quantum communication via moving satellites, as announced by the Canadian Government in April 2017.
Their study, published today in the new journal Quantum Science and Technology, demonstrates the first quantum key distribution transmissions from a ground transmitter to a quantum payload on a moving aircraft.
To ensure the tests were a valuable proof of concept for the anticipated satellite mission, the team at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and Department of Physics and Astronomy of University of Waterloo, Ontario, designed their prototype receiver to consist of components compatible with the size and operating environment restrictions of a micro satellite.
Lead author Christopher Pugh, said: "Quantum key distribution (QKD) establishes cryptographic keys between two distant parties in a way that is cryptanalytically unbreakable. Ground based QKD systems use optical fibre links, and are limited to distances of a few hundred kilometres due to absorption losses, which get exponentially worse as the distance increases."
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