Quantum authentication framework for digital twin–driven satellite networks

Abstract The integration of digital twin technology into large-scale Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations introduces critical security challenges, particularly under emerging quantum threats. This paper proposes a quantum-assisted multi-layer authentication framework for satellite–digital twin communication that combines entanglement-based verification with hardware-rooted identity using Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions (QPUFs). The protocol employs Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) pair-based key establishment and decoy-state mechanisms to detect entangle-and-measure (EMA) and intercept-and-resend (IRA) attacks, where the induced disturbance attains 0.25 per decoy qubit under a maximally informative attack. The probability of undetected attacks decreases exponentially as $$(3/4)^u$$ , rapidly approaching zero for moderate decoy lengths. Cabello’s qubit efficiency of the scheme is derived as $$\beta = \frac{k}{6n + 2u}$$ . Experimental validation using Qiskit simulation confirms entanglement correlation preservation across mutually unbiased bases and demonstrates QPUF response uniformity of 0.588, a stabilized majority-based reliability of $$100\%$$ under noiseless simulation, and a response uniqueness of 0.508. The results establish the feasibility of integrating quantum authentication and hardware-root security within digital twin–assisted satellite networks.