Field demonstration of a self-contained 10 km mobile-to-ground quantum network node via common-aperture co-propagation

Dongkyu Kim; Dong-Gil Im; Kyungdeuk Park; Jisu Kim; Jonguk Choi; Yonggi Jo; Yong Sup Ihn

AI summary · arXiv: 2610.27427v1 · quant-ph

Field demonstration of a self-contained 10 km mobile-to-ground quantum network node via common-aperture co-propagation

Dongkyu Kim, Dong-Gil Im, Kyungdeuk Park, Jisu Kim, Jonguk Choi, Yonggi Jo, Yong Sup Ihn

Original paper Submitted to arXiv on 20 Oct. 2026 9 pages, 2 figures License: NONEXCLUSIVE-DISTRIB 1.0

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The essentials

The field demonstration combines QKD and classical communications through a common-aperture optical system over a 10.31 km terrestrial link.

Based on the abstract only: check the details in the original paper.

Question

Can a mobile-to-ground free-space optical system use a shared aperture to support QKD alongside classical communication, including QKD post-processing and encrypted payload transmission?

Method

The authors demonstrated decoy-state BB84 QKD at 803 nm and bidirectional classical communication at 640/660 nm over a 10.31 km link. The classical channel used 10 MHz Manchester-coded on-off keying, hardware-based self-synchronization, and retransmission of error packets; distilled keys were used for AES-256 image encryption.

Findings

Result The classical link achieved a packet error rate of approximately 0.4% and an estimated BER of 3.13 × 10⁻⁵.
See the passage in the paper
The classical link utilizes Manchester-coded on-off keying (MC-OOK) at 10 MHz, achieving a packet error rate of $\sim$ 0.4 $\%$ (estimated bit error rate (BER) of 3.13 $\times$ 10$^{-5}$) with hardware-based self-synchronization and error-packet retransmission.
Result Over the 10.31 km link, the QKD system achieved an average QBER of 2.512% and an average secret key rate of 644 bps.
See the passage in the paper
Over the 10.31 km link, the QKD system achieved an average quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 2.512 $\%$ and an average secret key rate of 644 bps using rate-adaptive low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes.
Result The system transmitted AES-256-encrypted images over the co-aligned classical optical channel using distilled keys.
See the passage in the paper
Finally, using the distilled keys, real-time AES-256 encrypted image transmission was executed over the co-aligned classical optical channel, proving the feasibility of a completely self-contained, jam resistant mobile quantum optical network.
Authors’ interpretation The authors describe the demonstration as the first fully integrated common-aperture architecture to combine co-propagating classical communication with full QKD post-processing and encrypted payload transmission over a 10 km atmospheric channel.
See the passage in the paper
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first field demonstration of a fully integrated common-aperture architecture where a co-propagating classical optical link simultaneously performs full QKD post-processing and ecrypted payload transmission over a 10 km atmospheric channel.

Limitations

The reported demonstration concerns one 10.31 km terrestrial mobile-to-ground link; the abstract does not establish performance across other distances or operating conditions.

Why it matters

The authors argue that integrating QKD and classical communications through a common aperture can enable a self-contained mobile quantum optical network. The demonstration combines key generation, classical QKD post-processing, and encrypted payload transmission on a terrestrial atmospheric link.

Written by AI from the paper. Passages are checked word for word against the text we analysed; the rest may contain errors.

AI-generated keywords: Quantum key distribution Free-space optical communication Common-aperture system Mobile quantum networks Atmospheric optical link

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Comprehensive Summary
Layman's Summary
Blog article
Original abstract

The paper reports a field demonstration of a mobile-to-ground free-space optical system designed to support quantum key distribution (QKD) and classical data communication through a shared optical aperture. It asks whether these functions can operate together over a long terrestrial atmospheric link in a self-contained mobile network node, including the classical communications required for QKD post-processing and encrypted-data transmission. The demonstrated link connected a mobile platform to a stationary ground station over 10.31 km. The system co-propagated decoy-state BB84 QKD at 803 nm and bidirectional classical optical communication at 640 and 660 nm through a common-aperture arrangement. The classical channel used 10 MHz Manchester-coded on-off keying. According to the abstract, the system completed QKD post-processing and transmitted encrypted payloads. Hardware-based self-synchronization and retransmission of erroneous packets helped manage communication errors. The QKD processing used rate-adaptive low-density parity-check codes, and the distilled keys were used for AES-256 encryption. The classical link achieved a packet error rate of approximately 0.4% and an estimated bit error rate of 3.13 × 10⁻⁵. Over the 10.31 km link, the QKD system recorded an average quantum bit error rate of 2.512% and an average secret key rate of 644 bits per second. The authors also report real-time transmission of encrypted images over the co-aligned classical optical channel using the distilled keys. Together, these results demonstrate simultaneous QKD, classical communication, QKD post-processing, and encrypted-payload delivery in a field-tested common-aperture system. The authors describe the work as, to their knowledge, the first field demonstration of a fully integrated common-aperture architecture in which a co-propagating classical optical link supports both full QKD post-processing and encrypted-payload transmission over a 10 km atmospheric channel. They argue that the experiment establishes the feasibility of a self-contained mobile quantum optical network and characterize the system as jam resistant. The abstract supports the claim that the combined functions operated over the demonstrated link, but does not provide enough detail to assess the basis or scope of the jamming-resistance claim. This summary is limited because only the paper’s title, authors, and abstract are available; the license does not permit access to the full text. The abstract does not describe the experimental hardware in detail, the mobile platform’s operating conditions, the duration or repeatability of the trials, or how the reported averages were calculated. It also provides no comparison with alternative architectures, detailed security analysis, or sufficient information to independently evaluate the key-rate and error-rate measurements. The reported figures and conclusions should therefore be understood as the authors’ abstract-level account of the demonstration, not as a complete assessment of its methods or limitations.

A 10-Kilometer Test of a Mobile Quantum Network

Quantum key distribution (QKD) can help two parties establish encryption keys, but a practical system needs more than a quantum signal. It also needs classical communication to coordinate QKD processing—and a way to send the encrypted data itself. A field demonstration described in “Field demonstration of a self-contained 10 km mobile-to-ground quantum network node via common-aperture co-propagation” puts these functions together on a long atmospheric link.

Dongkyu Kim, Dong-Gil Im, Kyungdeuk Park, Jisu Kim, Jonguk Choi, Yonggi Jo et al. report a mobile-to-ground connection spanning 10.31 kilometers. The system carried QKD and classical optical communications at the same time through a shared aperture. Its aim was to test whether a mobile network node could support the key exchange, the classical messages needed to process those keys, and encrypted-payload delivery in one integrated setup.

Three optical channels, one shared aperture

The system co-propagated decoy-state BB84 QKD at a wavelength of 803 nanometers with bidirectional classical communications at 640 and 660 nanometers. The classical link used 10 MHz Manchester-coded on-off keying. In a common-aperture design, these signals share an optical opening while traveling along the same atmospheric path.

That arrangement matters because QKD does not stand alone. After quantum signals are exchanged, the communicating parties must use classical messages to reconcile their results and distill a secret key. They can then use that key to protect ordinary data. The demonstration aimed to carry out this broader sequence over the field link, rather than showing only that quantum signals could be detected.

From key exchange to encrypted images

According to the abstract, the system completed QKD post-processing and transmitted encrypted payloads. The classical channel supported the post-processing, while hardware-based self-synchronization and retransmission of erroneous packets helped manage communication errors. The QKD processing used rate-adaptive low-density parity-check codes to distill keys, which were then used for AES-256 encryption.

The authors also report real-time transmission of encrypted images over the co-aligned classical optical channel using the distilled keys. This result links the quantum key exchange to a practical use: protecting data sent over the classical connection. Taken together, the reported functions include simultaneous QKD, classical communication, key processing, and encrypted-payload delivery.

Reported performance over 10.31 kilometers

The abstract reports these measurements for the field link:

Average quantum bit error rate: 2.512%
Average secret key rate: 644 bits per second
Classical packet error rate: approximately 0.4%
Estimated classical bit error rate: 3.13 × 10⁻⁵

The figures offer an abstract-level snapshot of the system’s reported performance. The paper’s authors describe the work as, to their knowledge, the first field demonstration of a fully integrated common-aperture architecture in which a co-propagating classical optical link supports both full QKD post-processing and encrypted-payload transmission over a 10-kilometer atmospheric channel.

What the demonstration does—and does not—show

The authors argue that the experiment establishes the feasibility of a self-contained mobile quantum optical network node and characterize the system as jam resistant. The reported operation over the link supports the feasibility claim for the demonstrated setup. However, the available abstract does not give enough detail to assess the basis or scope of the jamming-resistance claim. It should not be taken as a full evaluation of the system’s resilience under different interference conditions.

There are other important limits to what can be concluded from the abstract. It does not describe the experimental hardware in detail, the mobile platform’s operating conditions, how long the trials lasted, or whether they were repeated under varied conditions. Nor does it explain how the reported averages were calculated. The abstract also provides no comparison with alternative architectures, detailed security analysis, or enough information to independently evaluate the key-rate and error-rate measurements.

A useful field milestone, with open questions

Within those limits, the demonstration brings several essential pieces of a mobile quantum link into one field-tested arrangement. It reports that quantum key exchange, classical coordination, post-processing, and encrypted-data transmission operated together over a 10.31-kilometer atmospheric path. That integrated result is more informative than a test of quantum transmission alone, because it addresses the communications required to turn exchanged signals into usable encryption keys and protected data.

The findings described here come from the paper’s title, author list, and abstract; the full text was not available. The reported numbers and conclusions should therefore be understood as the authors’ abstract-level account, not as a complete assessment of the methods or limitations. Further detail would be needed to judge reliability across operating conditions, compare the architecture with alternatives, and assess the security and jamming-resistance claims in depth.

Created on 30 Oct. 2026

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Field demonstration of a self-contained 10 km mobile-to-ground quantum network node via common-aperture co-propagation

The essentials

Question

Method

Findings

Limitations

Why it matters

Read further

Definitions

A 10-Kilometer Test of a Mobile Quantum Network

Three optical channels, one shared aperture

From key exchange to encrypted images

Reported performance over 10.31 kilometers

What the demonstration does—and does not—show

A useful field milestone, with open questions

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