1. Drone-based entanglement distribution towards mobile quantum networks.
- Author
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Liu, Hua-Ying, Tian, Xiao-Hui, Gu, Changsheng, Fan, Pengfei, Ni, Xin, Yang, Ran, Zhang, Ji-Ning, Hu, Mingzhe, Guo, Jian, Cao, Xun, Hu, Xiaopeng, Zhao, Gang, Lu, Yan-Qing, Gong, Yan-Xiao, Xie, Zhenda, and Zhu, Shi-Ning
- Subjects
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QUANTUM communication , *MOBILE operating systems , *ARTIFICIAL satellite tracking , *ARTIFICIAL satellites - Abstract
Satellites have shown free-space quantum-communication ability; however, they are orbit-limited from full-time all-location coverage. Meanwhile, practical quantum networks require satellite constellations, which are complicated and expensive, whereas the airborne mobile quantum communication may be a practical alternative to offering full-time all-location multi-weather coverage in a cost-effective way. Here, we demonstrate the first mobile entanglement distribution based on drones, realizing multi-weather operation including daytime and rainy nights, with a Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt S-parameter measured to be 2.41 ± 0.14 and 2.49 ± 0.06, respectively. Such a system shows unparalleled mobility, flexibility and reconfigurability compared to the existing satellite and fiber-based quantum communication, and reveals its potential to establish a multinode quantum network, with a scalable design using symmetrical lens diameter and single-mode-fiber coupling. All key technologies have been developed to pack quantum nodes into lightweight mobile platforms for local-area coverage, and arouse further technical improvements to establish wide-area quantum networks with high-altitude mobile communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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