SPEQS-2

Fig.1 SpooQy-1 cut-away model showing the SPEQS-2 experiment.

The SpooQy Lab team has adopted an iterative development process towards the development of entangled photon-pair sources for space platforms. We envision these space-based sources as part of a global quantum network. One area of R&D pioneered by the team has been the use of nanosatellites - which could be a cost-effective way to build constellations of quantum satellites in low earth orbit.

These space-capable sources are labelled as SPEQS: Small Photon-Entangling Quantum Systems. Two previous iterations, SPEQS-0, and SPEQS-1, have demonstrated that the the basic design is capable of surviving hostile environments. These previous designs showed that correlated photon-pairs obeying time-energy entanglement could be generated in the SPEQS form-factor, paving the way for a full-fledged polarization-entanglement demonstration onboard the SpooQy-1 nanosatellite.

Fig.2 Essential components of the SPEQS-2 polarization-entangled photon-pair source. It uses the PACES design.

Research and development on SPEQS-2 has also allowed the team to explore various designs for generating high-bandwidth and rugged polarization-entangled photons. Examples are the PACES, POMO and PAPA designs, some of which are capable of quantum communication from geo-stationary satellites.

Fig. 3 Schematic showing the mounted components on the Titanium flexure stage (base in lilac for clarity).