Precision synchronization for free-space quantum networking

Neal W. Spellmeyer; Don M. Boroson; P. Benjamin Dixon; Matthew E. Grein; Nicholas D. Hardy; Catherine Lee; Ryan P. Murphy; Hemonth G. Rao; Marvin Scheinbart; Katia Shtyrkova; Mark L. Stevens; Scott A. Hamilton

doi:10.1117/12.2646188

8 March 2023 Precision synchronization for free-space quantum networking

Neal W. Spellmeyer, Don M. Boroson, P. Benjamin Dixon, Matthew E. Grein, Nicholas D. Hardy, Catherine Lee, Ryan P. Murphy, Hemonth G. Rao, Marvin Scheinbart, Katia Shtyrkova, Mark L. Stevens, Scott A. Hamilton

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12446, Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation III; 124460G (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2646188
Event: SPIE Quantum West, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Precision synchronization is vital for robust long-distance quantum networking over fiber and free-space channels for which high-fidelity entanglement swapping between separate sources via an optical Bell state measurement requires temporal overlap of photonic qubits arriving from either source. This challenge is particularly distinct in satellite-based entanglement distribution in which relative motion, channel effects, and propagation delay must be addressed. This work presents a precision synchronization method for free space entanglement distribution, and reports on risk reduction testing in a quantum networking testbed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Primary consideration is for a dual-uplink architecture in which photons from entanglement sources at two ground locations interact in an optical Bell-state measurement implemented on a satellite in a low-earth orbit. The control approach uses independent entanglement sources at each ground location supplemented with a synchronization signal for feedback control from a timing discriminant measured at the spacecraft. The approach is being implemented in a laboratory testbed using 1-GHz repetition rate 1550-nm band entanglement sources generating ~10-MHz source entanglement rates with few-ps photon pulse lengths. The paper describes both fundamental architectural considerations and practical implementation details.

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Neal W. Spellmeyer, Don M. Boroson, P. Benjamin Dixon, Matthew E. Grein, Nicholas D. Hardy, Catherine Lee, Ryan P. Murphy, Hemonth G. Rao, Marvin Scheinbart, Katia Shtyrkova, Mark L. Stevens, and Scott A. Hamilton "Precision synchronization for free-space quantum networking", Proc. SPIE 12446, Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation III, 124460G (8 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2646188

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