Design and manufacturing of a metallic telescope for ground-based quantum communication

Markus Unger; Nils Heidler; Thomas Peschel; Christoph Damm; Robert Jende; Peter Weide; Knut Kleinbauer; Ralf Steinkopf; Tatjana Porwol; Sandra Müller; Mathias Rohde; Johannes Hartung; Christian Jäger; Svetlana Shestaeva; Ralph Schlegel; Stefan Schwinde; Matthias Goy; Fabian Steinlechner; Stefan Risse

doi:10.1117/12.3022982

17 June 2024 Design and manufacturing of a metallic telescope for ground-based quantum communication

Markus Unger, Nils Heidler, Thomas Peschel, Christoph Damm, Robert Jende, Peter Weide, Knut Kleinbauer, Ralf Steinkopf, Tatjana Porwol, Sandra Müller, Mathias Rohde, Johannes Hartung, Christian Jäger, Svetlana Shestaeva, Ralph Schlegel, Stefan Schwinde, Matthias Goy, Fabian Steinlechner, Stefan Risse

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13021, Optical Fabrication and Testing VIII; 1302105 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3022982
Event: SPIE Optical Systems Design, 2024, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

Quantum communication is considered to be a key feature for secure communication e.g. between government organisations or other institutions with high security requirements. Therefore, the QuNET initiative was founded. It focuses on developing a quantum-secure German governmental agency network based on quantum key distribution (QKD). Free-space optical (FSO) links are a valuable part of infrastructure because they can be deployed temporarily, such as at summits or to bridge the last miles where there is no fiber infrastructure. In particular, high-throughput telescopes are of great importance as optical antennas for terrestrial networks or links between mobile nodes. The paper describes the development and manufacturing of an unobscured, afocal four-mirror metal telescope which is already tested for ground-based quantum communication. The off-axis system, operating with a full telescope aperture of 200 mm, a magnification of 20x, and a FOV (field of view) of 3.5 mrad and is designed to yield diffraction-limited performance for an operational wavelength of 810 nm and 1550 nm. The addressed wavefront error-target of the whole system amounts to 66 nm RMS (root mean square). The use case of the telescope implied an operational temperature range of -40 °C up to +50 °C. Therefore, an athermal system is realized using an aluminum-silicon alloy substrate material combined with a nickel-phosphorus polishing layer that allows to reach the required surface quality of the mirrors. To simplify the alignment of the telescope, its mechanical concept relies on a snap-together approach using two substrates with two optical mirrors on a common substrate, each. The manufacturing chain of these two so called mirror substrates is described in detail. That includes the CNC pre-manufacturing, ultra precision diamond turning and subsequent polishing steps. The resulting quality of the mirror substrates as well as of the telescope system is demonstrated by optical measurements using interferometric setups.

Conference Presentation

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Markus Unger, Nils Heidler, Thomas Peschel, Christoph Damm, Robert Jende, Peter Weide, Knut Kleinbauer, Ralf Steinkopf, Tatjana Porwol, Sandra Müller, Mathias Rohde, Johannes Hartung, Christian Jäger, Svetlana Shestaeva, Ralph Schlegel, Stefan Schwinde, Matthias Goy, Fabian Steinlechner, and Stefan Risse "Design and manufacturing of a metallic telescope for ground-based quantum communication", Proc. SPIE 13021, Optical Fabrication and Testing VIII, 1302105 (17 June 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3022982

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