Exploring Satellite Quantum Key Distribution under Atmospheric Constraints

Satellite Quantum Key Distribution creates a pathway for secure global communication with a level of security that is peerless. However, ground-to-satellite Quantum Key Distribution links are degraded due to the atmospheric turbulence. This paper gives a numerical framework using angular spectrum propagation, Hufnagel-Valley model of turbulence and Von Karman phase screens and takes into account the static losses introduced due to the absorption of the beam by the different elements and compounds in the atmosphere like O2, CO2 and H2O. This simulation propagates a Gaussian beam step by step through the atmosphere, where we incorporate the phase distortions using phase screens based on standard Cn2 profiles which take into account losses such as scintillation and beam wander. We simulate the BB84 protocol with decoy states for added security. The results of the simulation quantify the expected link budget and Secure key rates over a range of distances to measure the viability of Free Space Optical Quantum Key Distribution links at different distances.