Free-space quantum links have clear practical advantages which are unaccessible with fiber-based optical channels — establishing satellite-mediated quantum links, communications through hardly accessible regions, and communications with moving objects. We consider the effect of the atmospheric turbulence on properties such as quadrature squeezing, entanglement, Bell nonlocality, and nonclassical statistics of photocounts, which are resources for quantum communications. Depending on the characteristics of the given channels, we study the efficiency of different techniques, which enable to preserve these quantum features post-, pre-selection, and adaptive methods. Furthermore, we show that copropagation of nonclassically-correlated modes, which is used in some communication scenarios, has clear advantages in free-space links.
Many fundamental and applied experiments in quantum optics require transferring nonclassical states of light through large distances. In this context the free-space channels are a very promising alternative to optical fibers as they are mobile and enable to establish communications with moving objects, using satellites for global quantum links. For such channels the atmospheric turbulence is the main disturbing factor. The statistical properties of the fluctuating transmittance through the turbulent atmosphere are given by the probability distribution of transmittance (PDT). We derive the consistent PDTs for the atmospheric quantum channels by step-by-step inclusion of various atmospheric effects such as beam wandering, beam broadening and deformation of the beam into elliptic form, beam deformations into arbitrary forms. We discuss the applicability of PDT models for different propagation distances and optical turbulence strengths in the case when the receiver module has an annular aperture. We analyze the optimal detection and correction strategies which can improve the channel transmission characteristics. The obtained results are important for the design of optical experiments including postselection and adaptive strategies and for the security analysis of quantum communication protocols in freespace.
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