Entanglement and Quantum Key Distribution at ESA

Eric Wille, TEC-MMO

E.Murphy, TEC-MME

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use Entanglement and QKD Motivation Fundamental Research - Limitations of Quantum Physics - Quantum Gravity & Decoherence Applications & Products - Quantum Key Distribution Benefits for Society - Safe communication & privacy - Quantum safe communication

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 2 History of ESA activities on QKD, up to 2013

2003: Space Quest Proposal for an ISS experiment (fundamental physics & QKD)

[Next Decade]: Several technology, system study and business case activities - 144 km entanglement distribution (2007) - 143 km quantum teleportation (2012) - Increasing TRL of faint pulse and entangled photon sources from 2-4

Post 2013: - Reformulation of the ISS experiment proposal towards quantum gravity - First TRL 5 prototype being developed under ARTES

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 3 Entanglement and QKD: Status, post 2015

August 2015: NSA announced that it is planning to transition to a new cypher suite that is resistant to quantum attacks

January 2016: Launch of EDRS with an optical terminal; demonstrating operational maturity of laser communication

February 2016: NIST kicks off efforts to Defend Encrypted Data from Quantum Computer Threat

May 2016: European Commission announced launch of 1 B€ Quantum Flagship

August 2016: Launch of QUESS satellite (China with Austrian contribution)

In addition: strong increase of R&D funding, mission proposals and commercial interest in QKD (inside and outside of ESA)

December 2016: ARTES ScyLight proposal to the ESA Council at Ministerial level: SeCure and Laser communication Technology

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 4 Quantum Links (Eventually) to Space

Creation and study of long distance entanglement and QKD (Demonstration):

– Past: Terrestrial 143 km link between Tenerife and La Palma demonstrating

entanglement (2007) and quantum teleportation (2013)

(Nature Physics 3, (2007), Nature 489, (2012))

– Future: Extending to > 500 km requires space (ISS, GEO, Moon, ….)

Interaction between gravity and quantum entanglement (Space Science case):

– The interaction between an entangled quantum state propagating through a gravity

gradient (eg. away from earth) is unknown. A ground-space quantum link would

allow to probe on how gravity acts on the quantum properties of light.

– Moon vs. ISS: longer link durations, longer distances, stronger gravity gradients:

higher sensitivity to see quantum gravity effects.

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 5 Quantum Links to Space (ISS) Double down-link Single link (up or down)

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 6 Application Area: Secure Communication

Utilisation of quantum cryptography for laser communication links: – Classical laser communication links are now used for operational systems (eg. TESAT laser terminal). – Adding a quantum link (ie. a transceiver for entangled photons) would allow quantum secure key distributions between: ground <-> space ground <-> ground (intercontinental) – ESA is developing the transceiver technology and analysing different application scenarios and business cases. – Strong benefits from ESA’s classical laser communication developments

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 7 Recent and ongoing development activities

–TRP’s: Entangled Photon Source for Quantum Communications (bulk & Integrated optics) [C] – ARTES-5.1: Photonic Transceiver for Secure Space Communications [C] – ARTES-5.2: Photonic Transceiver for Secure Space Communications: New Space Suitable Entangled Photon Source [Ongoing] – GSP: Experimental Evaluation of Quantum Teleportation for Space Systems [C, 2012] – TRP: Applications of Optical Quantum Links to GNSS [C] – ARTES-1: Introduction of Quantum Communications in Satellite Communication Networks [C, 2012] In addition: Evaluation and system studies of mission proposals received by the scientific community

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 8 Summary

– Quantum communication has scientific and practical applications – Quantum key distribution can solve existing security problems, but no big market, yet – Suitable photon sources will soon reach TRL5 – Optical terminal technology has reached TRL9 and is a growing market [Key enabling infrastructure] – Quantum links have been demonstrated over long distances (ground and space) –ScyLight ESA/JCB(2016)78, rev.1 Line 4 (Quantum Cryptography Technologies)

ESA UNCLASSIFIED - For Official Use ESA | 01/01/2016 | Slide 9 Quantum Communications and Entanglement | Eric Wille et al | ESTEC | 17/01/2012 | Pag. 9