Performance evaluation and security analysis of ground-to-satellite FSO system with CV-QKD protocol

• Published in: IET communications 2020-06, Vol.14 (10), p.1534-1542
• Main Authors: Alshaer, Nancy, Ismail, Tawfik, Nasr, Mohamed E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bipolar pulse amplitude modulation; closed‐form expression; closed‐form expressions; cryptographic protocols; CV‐QKD protocol; dual‐threshold detection; dual‐threshold range; error statistics; fading channels; free‐space optical communication; ground‐to‐satellite free‐space optical system; ground‐to‐satellite FSO system; information capacity; joint probability; modulated gamma fading channel; Monte Carlo methods; Monte‐Carlo simulations; numerical analysis; performance evaluation; probability; pulse amplitude modulation; QBDR; QBER; quantum bit‐discard rate; quantum bit‐error‐rate; quantum cryptography; receiver parameter selection; Research Article; satellite communication; satellite‐based continuous‐variable quantum key distribution; scaling coefficient; security analysis; system behaviour; system security; transmitter parameter selection
• ISSN: 1751-8628; 1751-8636; 1751-8636
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-com.2019.0795

This study evaluates the performance of a secure ground-to-satellite free-space optical (FSO) system using a bipolar pulse amplitude modulation over modulated gamma fading channel. A closed-form expression is derived for the joint probability of a satellite-based continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocol that uses dual-threshold detection. Furthermore, to study the system behaviour, closed-form expressions for quantum bit-error-rate (QBER) and quantum bit-discard rate (QBDR) are given. The accuracy of the proposed derivations is validated using Monte-Carlo simulations and numerical analysis. The dual-threshold range is optimised to satisfy design criteria in terms of QBER and QBDR. Finally, a sufficient selection of transmitter and receiver parameters ensures a guarantee of system security. Additionally, the information capacity is maximised by a scaling coefficient of $0.3\times 10^{-6}$0.3×10−6.