PosterIn-Orbit / OperationalGeneral / Plenary

Optimal Start-Stop Elevations for Satellite-to-Ground Quantum Key Distribution

Mr. Oliver Crampton

Toshiba Europe Limited, Cambridge Research Laboratory

Day

Wednesday · 2026-10-14

Time

3:20 PM - 4:20 PM

Track

General / Plenary

Session

Exhibition and Poster Session-3

Venue

ICSO 2026 Conference Venue

Hall General / PlenarySession Exhibition and Poster Session-3

Track indicates the session hall. Refer to the on-site programme board for the exact room number and any last-minute room changes.

In 30 seconds

Maximizing secret key generation in satellite-to-ground Quantum Key Distribution (S-QKD) requires optimizing the brief LEO satellite visibility windows. This study analyzes the impact of start-stop elevation angles on link efficiency, accounting for atmospheric beam wandering and coarse pointing misalignment. Refined operational timing strategies ensure that high-clock-rate sources and advanced receivers are utilized effectively during the limited communication duration, directly improving the throughput of global quantum networks.

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Access the complete technical paper via the official ICSO 2026 programme.

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Topics & Subtopics

Quantum Technologies Optical CommunicationsSatellite QKDOptical Ground StationsQuantum Key DistributionQuantum Ground StationsUV / VIS / IR AstronomyAssembly & Alignment