Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal seeks equipment that will advance Waterloo's existing Quantum Optical Ground Station (QOGS), operated by the University of Waterloo, enabling it to conduct quantum science and optical communications experiments with the Canadian Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat). QOGS will require QEYSSat specific upgrades including a dome with a programmable roof, lasers for the quantum sources, a tracking beacon laser, and a camera system to detect the QEYSSat laser beacon. The primary goal of the QEYSSat mission is to preform quantum key distribution (QKD) between ground and space. The most secure cryptosystems require encrypting data with a secure key and then securely distributing the key amongst the communication parties. Quantum information provides a solution to the problem of establishing key transfer through QKD. Thereby, a sender (Alice), encodes information in quantum states and sends them to a receiver (Bob). The security of QKD is provided by the peculiar property of quantum states to be perturbed by measurements. Specifically, if an eavesdropper (Eve) attempts to determine the state for the key, they end up perturbing the state, revealing their presence and the compromised key is discarded before it is used for encoding any sensitive information. Implementations of QKD require the ability to transmit photons over very long distances. While the photon transmission is fast and efficient, it is not perfect, and effects such as scattering, or absorption can cause the photons to be lost. And, unlike classical photonic communication signals, the photons used in QKD cannot be amplified since such a process would perturb the state. The most promising approach to establish QKD over global distances is to use an orbiting satellite acting as a node in a quantum network. QEYSSat, led by Jennewein and his team, focusses on a satellite receiver platform, where the quantum source would be located on the ground. This approach provides the unique advantage of enabling modification of the quantum source during the satellite's lifetime. Modifying the quantum source not only allows improvement of the performance but also allows new experiments to be performed in the future with new sources. The requested equipment will enable Waterloo's QOGS to conduct these experiments while providing the research team with a unique environment to advance quantum technologies using satellites. The commercialization of QKD is a growing field and upgrading QOGS will position Canada as a world leader in QKD. HQP involved in this project will gain valuable experience in the implementation of QKD, thus increasing their prospects when joining the private sector after graduating. In addition to QKD, these unique research experiments will also test the hypothesis that the laws of quantum mechanics are the same in space as they are on Earth, as well as demonstrate future quantum IT commercialization opportunities.