Abstract
We describe an experimental implementation of a free-space 11-dimensional communication system using orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes. This system has a maximum measured OAM channel capacity of 2.12 bits/photon. The effects of Kolmogorov thin-phase turbulence on the OAM channel capacity are quantified. We find that increasing the turbulence leads to a degradation of the channel capacity. We are able to mitigate the effects of turbulence by increasing the spacing between detected OAM modes. This study has implications for high-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. We describe the sort of QKD system that could be built using our current technology. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 13195-13200 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Optics Express |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4 Jun 2012 |