Time-Bin and Polarization Superdense Teleportation for Space Applications

Abstract

To build a global quantum-communication network, low-transmission, fiber-based communication channels can be supplemented by using a free-space channel between a satellite and a ground station on Earth. We construct a system that generates hyperentangled photonic ``ququarts'' and measures them to execute multiple quantum-communication protocols of interest. We successfully execute and characterize superdense teleportation, a modified remote-state preparation protocol that transfers more quantum information than standard teleportation, for the same classical information cost, and moreover, is in principle deterministic. Our measurements show an average fidelity of $0.94\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$, with a phase resolution of approximately ${7}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$, allowing reliable transmission of $>{10}^{5}$ distinguishable quantum states. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to compensate for the Doppler shift, which would otherwise prevent sending time-bin encoded states from a rapidly moving satellite, thus allowing the low-error execution of phase-sensitive protocols during an orbital pass. Finally, we show that the estimated number of received coincidence counts in a realistic implementation is sufficient to enable faithful reconstruction of the received state in a single pass.