Development of compact entangled photon-pair sources for satellites

Abstract

Satellites are expected to play a significant role in the future of global quantum networks. Small satellites such as those following CubeSat standards may enable space-based quantum networks. CubeSat type satellites require less resources to develop and deploy and can be used to rapidly qualify technologies in orbit. The constraints of small satellites drive the development of compact quantum light sources, which will be useful even if the final satellite volume is large due to transmitter aperture requirements. In this article, we discuss the state-of-the-art in compact entangled photon-pair sources and suggest challenges that must be met by new source designs.