Ultra-Compact, Field-Deployable, Quantum-Compatible Receiver for Free-Space Optical Communication

NASA’s previous and planned free-space optical communications will leverage a pulse-position modulation encoding to maximize photon information efficiency in a heavily attenuated communications channel. Quantum Opus is already developing commercially scalable superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) systems capable of facilitating this type of communications link by providing unprecedented count rates, collection areas, and system detection efficiencies. Looking to the future, the data rate of these channels will likely be limited by the timing resolution of the detectors themselves. The current standard specification of Quantum Opus SNSPDs for telecom wavelengths is <100 ps, <50 ps with cryogenic amplifiers. However, recent works[1,2] have shown that the intrinsically limited timing jitter of NbN and MoSI SNSPDs is as low as 4.6 ps and 10.6 ps respectively by creating devices small enough that there is no so-called “geometric” jitter contribution caused by spatial distribution of the photons across the nanowire. Other recent work has shown two approaches to reduce the jitter of SNSPDs: reading out pulses from both ends[3] of the nanowire to minimize the geometric jitter contribution and integrating an impedance matching taper[4] into the device to reduce coupling losses to 50 ohm readout lines and increase signal to noise at the trigger threshold. We will pursue both of these paths and integrate them into our large-area, high-count-rate, multi-element SNSPD system. [1] B. Korzh et al., Nature Photonics 14, 250 (2020) [2] M. Caloz et al., Journal of Applied Physics 126, 164501 (2019) [3] D. F. Santavicca et al., IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity vol. 29, no. 5, 1 (2019) [4] D. Zhu et al., Applied Physics Letters 114, 042601 (2019)

Field deployable receiver for quantum/classical free-space optical communications and terrestrial fiber-based quantum communications to enable secure command and control data and high rate science data return from space assets. Could enable quantum secured optical communications ground station network compatible with future missions such as: Mars optical communication (e.g. Deep Space Optical Communications project), Real Time Optical Receiver (SCaN), Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, Agriculture/climate data receiver (e.g., ECOSTRESS).

Commercial quantum and classical optical receivers for satellite downlink Secure communications and high-rate data return for space mining companies CASIS-supported optical downlink partnerships (e.g., Cisco,Syngenta, others) Applications with diffuse, weak, optical sources (biofluorescence, chemical sensing, optical tomography,...) Time resolved diffuse correlation spectroscopy for neuro-imaging

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