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。量子密钥分发是一种成熟的通信协议，它承诺通过交换单个光子(光的组成粒子)进行牢不可破的加密。在很大程度上，由于缺乏一种连接全球用户的实用方式，QKD尚未得到广泛部署。该项目旨在展示使用低成本的CubeSat平台进行高速、星对地量子密钥分发的可行性。如果成功，这一设计将极大地降低推出一个在全球范围内提供QKD连接的QKD星座的初始成本，从而极大地扩大QKD的用途并推动市场增长。早期的客户将是美国政府和愿意为终极数据安全支付溢价的大企业。政府的使用提供了明显的社会效益，因为几个机构依赖安全的全球通信来确保社会福祉。随着技术的进步，网络可能被用来保护普通公民的通信安全。拟议的计划将进一步开发未来基于空间的量子科学实验的使能技术。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将为托管在立方体卫星上的高速量子密钥分配有效载荷提供设计。拟议的设计将比第一次也是唯一一次卫星对地量子密钥分配(墨子，2017)的演示向前迈进了一大步，后者依赖于过于庞大、昂贵和低吞吐量的技术，无法用于商业用途。由于CubeSats在大小、重量和功率方面受到严格限制，因此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，这家小企业将研究一种新的QKD有效载荷概念，该概念将推动光子学和微电子机械系统中新兴技术的极限。在第一阶段，将使用候选有效载荷设计的详细建模和模拟来评估拟议方法的商业和技术可行性，并选择初步实施的初步设计，该初步设计将在第二阶段开始。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.