QUEST - Quantum Entangled Source

交换由量子物理定律保护的加密密钥的可能性正在迅速离开学术实验室，进入我们的日常生活，目前已有商业设备。这些通常依赖于光的量子态在专用光纤中的传播。然而，不可避免的光纤损耗将可实现的最大距离限制在大约100英里。这种限制可以通过利用卫星量子通信来克服。不同的政府和资助机构，如中国和欧洲航天局，目前正在调查这种可能性。卫星量子通信的主要组成部分是量子光源。在这个项目中，我们希望评估商业产品的可行性，以产生能够部署在卫星上的必要的光量子态。通过结合Optocap在空间应用光学组件包装方面的专业知识和弗劳恩霍夫应用光子学中心在量子技术方面的专业知识，我们的目标是确定卫星量子通信纠缠光子源首次商业化的路线。

The possibility to exchange a cryptographic key secured by the laws of quantum physics is rapidly leaving the academic laboratories and entering our everyday life, with commercial devices currently available. These, typically, rely on the propagation of quantum states of light in dedicated optical fibres. However, the unavoidable fibre loss is limiting the maximum distance achievable to roughly a hundred miles. This limitation could be overcome by exploiting satellite quantum communication. Different governments and funding agencies, such as China and the European Space Agency, are currently investigating this possibility. The main component for satellite quantum communication is the source of quantum light. In this project, we want to evaluate the feasibility of a commercial product for the generation of the necessary quantum states of light able to be deployed on a satellite. By combining Optocap's expertise in the packaging of optical components for space applications and Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics know-how in quantum technologies, we aim at defining the route towards the first commercialisation of a source of entangled photons for satellite quantum communication.