SBIR Phase I: Quantum Key Distribution via Small Satellite

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种使用量子密钥分发（QKD）进行超安全全球通信的实用方法。QKD是一种已建立的通信协议，它通过交换单光子（光的组成粒子）来保证不可破解的加密。在很大程度上，由于缺乏连接全球用户的实用方法，QKD尚未得到广泛部署。该项目旨在证明使用低成本CubeSat平台的高速星地QKD的可行性。如果成功，这种设计将大大降低推出QKD星座的初始成本，提供全球QKD连接，从而大大扩展QKD的实用性并推动市场增长。早期客户将是美国政府和愿意为最终数据安全支付溢价的大型企业。政府使用提供了明显的社会效益，因为一些机构依靠安全的全球通信来确保社会福祉。随着技术的进步，网络可用于保护私人公民的通信。拟议的计划将进一步为未来的天基量子科学实验开发使能技术。这一小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将为CubeSat上的高速QKD有效载荷提供设计。拟议的设计将从第一个也是唯一一个卫星到地面QKD的演示（Micius，2017）向前迈出实质性的一步，该演示依赖于过于庞大，昂贵和低吞吐量的技术，无法用于商业用途。由于立方体卫星在尺寸、重量和功率方面受到很大限制，主要的技术挑战将是使有效载荷小型化并降低其功耗，同时提高数据速率。为了应对这一挑战，这家小型企业将研究一种新颖的QKD有效载荷概念，该概念将推动光子学和微机电系统新兴技术的极限。在第一阶段，候选有效载荷设计的详细建模和仿真将用于评估所提出方法的商业和技术可行性，并选择初步设计用于初步实施，这将在第二阶段开始。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop a practical method for ultra-secure global communication using quantum key distribution (QKD). QKD is an established communications protocol which promises unbreakable encryption via the exchange of single photons, the constituent particles of light. Owing in large part to the lack of a practical way to connect users globally, QKD has not yet been widely deployed. This project aims to demonstrate the viability of high-speed, satellite-to-ground QKD using the low-cost CubeSat platform. If successful, this design will dramatically reduce the initial costs to launch a QKD constellation offering worldwide QKD connectivity, thereby greatly expanding the utility of QKD and driving market growth. Early customers will be the US Government and large businesses who are willing to pay a premium for the ultimate in data security. Government use offers clear societal benefit, as several agencies rely on secure global communications to ensure societal well-being. As technology advances, the network may be used to secure the communications of private citizens. The proposed plan will furthermore develop enabling technologies for future space-based quantum science experiments.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will produce designs for a high-speed QKD payload hosted on a CubeSat. The proposed design will take a substantial step forward from the first and only demonstration of satellite-to-ground QKD (Micius, 2017), which relied on technology that is too massive, expensive, and low-throughput for commercial use. Since CubeSats are heavily constrained in size, weight, and power, the major technical challenge will be to miniaturize the payload and reduce its power consumption while simultaneously improving data rates. To address this challenge, the small business will investigate a novel QKD payload concept that pushes the limits of emerging technologies in photonics and microelectromechanical systems. In Phase I, detailed modeling and simulation of candidate payload designs will be used to evaluate the commercial and technical feasibility of the proposed approach, and to select a preliminary design for initial implementation, which will commence in Phase II.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.