Performance Analysis of Satellite-Based Quantum Key Distribution under Time-Varying Background Noise
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This work presents an analysis of the influence of solar and lunar background radiance on satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). We model the orbit of the QUBE-I Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite alongside the celestial positions of the Sun and the Moon. By analysing the relative positioning between the satellite and these celestial bodies, we evaluate the influence of noise, assuming a C-band allocation for the quantum wavelength considering both free-space and fiber-coupled single-photon detection. Relevant QKD key performance indicators such as Secret Key Rate (SKR) and Distilled Key Volume (DKV) are calculated employing the Decoy-State BB84 protocol. The study highlights the potential for daylight QKD and presents variations in link performance across different months of the year. Finally, we demonstrate how small elongation angles between the satellite and celestial objects can completely disrupt QKD communication by significantly increasing noise in the quantum channels. This work represents a thorough time-dependent analysis regarding the influence of background noise in satellite QKD communications.
Institution: National Technical University of Athens
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7215132199