Timing and synchronisation for high-loss free-space quantum communication with Hybrid de Bruijn Codes

Abstract

Satellite-based, long-distance free-space quantum key distribution has the potential to realise global quantum secure communication networks. Detecting faint quantum optical pulses sent from space requires highly accurate and robust classical timing systems to pick out signals from the noise and allow for reconciliation of sent and received key bits. For such high-loss applications, a fault-tolerant synchronisation signal coding and decoding scheme based on de Bruijn sequences is proposed. A representative synchronisation timing system was tested in laboratory conditions and it demonstrated high fault tolerance for the error-correction algorithm even under high loss. The performance limitations of this solution are also discussed, and the maximum error tolerance of the scheme and the estimated computational overhead are analysed, allowing for the possibility of implementation on a real-time system-on-chip. This solution not only can be used for synchronisation of high-loss channels such as channels between satellites and ground stations but can also be extended to applications with low loss, high bit error rate, but require reliable synchronisation such as quantum and non-quantum communications over terrestrial free space or fibre optic channels.