Development and installation of a transmittance monitoring system for the telescope of the optical ground station oberpfaffenhofen

Kurzfassung

On the brink of the so-called quantum age, researchers from around the globe go to great lengths to better understand the quantum nature of light. Browne et al. (2017, p.1) state: 'Quantum light remains at the heart of many of the most promising and potentially transformative quantum technologies'. With the huge progress in quantum computing over the last years, quantum key distribution (QKD) is equally growing in importance. By exchanging secure keys using an optical link, QKD is able to solve security vulnerabilities arising through the insufficient protection of traditional encryption techniques against brute force quantum computer attacks threatening future communications. Pushing the limits of optical free space links for many years, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has also gathered a lot of experience in QKD applications and is now aiming for a safe and powerful future optical communication network. As QKD networks become reality, optical freespace links ensure ground-satellite and satellite-satellite communication lines. Essential for ground-satellite links are accurate telescopes, which reduce satellite optics requirements due to their ability to gather light and focus collimated beams.