Spaceborne, low-noise, single-photon detection for satellite-based quantum communications

Abstract

Single-photon detectors (SPDs) play important roles in highly sensitive detection applications, such as fluorescence spectroscopy, remote sensing and ranging, deep space optical communications, elementary particle detection, and quantum communications. However, the adverse conditions in space, such as the increased radiation flux and thermal vacuum, severely limit their noise performances, reliability, and lifetime. Herein, we present the first example of spaceborne, low-noise, high reliability SPDs, based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD). Based on the high noise-radiation sensitivity of silicon APD, we have developed special shielding structures, multistage cooling technologies, and configurable driver electronics that significantly improved the COTS APD reliability and mitigated the SPD noise-radiation sensitivity. This led to a reduction of the expected in-orbit radiation-induced dark count rate (DCR) from ~219 counts per second (cps) per day to ~0.76 cps/day. During a continuous period of continuous operations in orbit which spanned of 1029 days, the SPD DCR was maintained below 1000 cps, i.e., the actual in-orbit radiation-induced DCR increment rate was ~0.54 cps/day, i.e., two orders of magnitude lower than those evoked by previous technologies, while its photon detection efficiency was > 45%. Our spaceborne, low-noise SPDs established a feasible satellite-based up-link quantum communication that was validated on the quantum experiment science satellite platform. Moreover, our SPDs open new windows of opportunities for space research and applications in deep-space optical communications, single-photon laser ranging, as well as for testing the fundamental principles of physics in space.

Quantum Technology: Advances and Trends

“…One of objectives was to perform ground-satellite quantum teleportation that was of a main interest. This kind of teleportation was the first application of spaceborne and low-noise Single-Photon Detectors (SPDs), received uplink configurations and placed a complex multiphoton setup on the ground (Yang et al, 2019).…”

“…The SPDs helped to establish a practicable satellite-based uplink quantum communication that was validated on the platform of a quantum experiment science satellite. The SPDs also offered a choice for weak optical signal reception in the space applications, e.g., laser time transfer, deep-space optical communication, and satellite-based quantum application (Yang et al, 2019).…”

Optical Element Surface Defect Size Recognition Based on Decision Regression Tree

“…where v (1) , v (2) , and v (3) are the distance between points whose intensity is 0.75, 0.5, and 0.25 of the peak value of I far (x), respectively. Hence, the relationship between the defect size w and the light intensity distribution feature parameter v can be depicted by…”

“…The optical integration level of sophisticated equipment is getting higher and higher in recent years. For instance, laser inertial confinement fusion equipment, a communication satellite, and optical quantum computer have integrated a large quantity of fine optical elements [1][2][3]. The existence of optical elements surface defects not only affects the performance of this sophisticated equipment but also causes the collapse of the whole equipment system in some extreme situations.…”

A low-noise single-photon detector for long-distance free-space quantum communication

“…The next step of QKD development is its expansion on global scale and creation of world-wide QKD network [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. A lot of work has been already done to reach the longest distances for free-space quantum communications [12,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”