Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)-based free-space optics (FSO)/quantum key distribution (QKD) systems require high-precision pointing mechanisms. This increases system complexity and limits rapid deployment for lightweight and energy-constrained UAVs. This paper proposes a modulating retroreflector (MRR)-equipped UAV architecture for BB84-QKD systems that enables simplified yet accurate tracking while relaxing pointing requirements. A realistic quantum channel model is developed, for which we newly derive the channel probability distribution of transmittance (PDT). Capitalizing on the derived channel PDT, several QKD performance metrics are analytically obtained. Numerical results verify the feasibility of the proposed MRR-aided UAV for practical QKD deployment, highlight its effectiveness over conventional UAV-ground systems, and validate the accuracy of the developed analytical framework.
Source: IEEE Communications Letters
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Bộ Giáo dục và Ðào tạo
Award: G8139751458
OpenAlex ID: W7202156359