Degradation of Free-Space Quantum Communication Under Dust Aerosol Conditions

Quantum communication technology, known for its high security and confidentiality, has attractedsignificant attention. Soot aerosol, a major component of atmospheric aerosols, plays a crucial role inaffecting the propagation of optical quantum signals. To investigate the impact of soot aerosols on satelliteto-ground quantum communication, this study considers atmospheric free space as the transmissionmedium. It analyzes how soot aerosol particle concentration and transmission distance influence linkattenuation, based on the particle size distribution and extinction coefficients of soot aerosols. Using threenoise channel models, amplitude damping, bit-flip, and depolarization channels simulation experiments areconducted to evaluate channel capacity, fidelity, and bit error rate. The results demonstrate that soot aerosolsaffect quantum communication performance differently across the three noise channels depending ontransmission distance and aerosol concentration. To ensure reliable quantum communication betweensatellites and the ground, relevant parameters can be adjusted according to specific conditions, providing afoundation for maintaining stable optical quantum signal transmission.