Fig. 3: Achievable key rates for different choices of positions of the satellites.
From: Simulating quantum repeater strategies for multiple satellites
This is a new parameter to optimize when using multiple satellites. Satellite SA is positioned vertically above varying percentages of the total ground distance. The dashed line indicates the BBM92 protocol with only one satellite and a clock rate of 20 MHz. a Scenario 1, a protocol with outer satellites distributing one pair between the ground station and the central satellite each. Here positioning the satellites SA and SB directly above the ground station to avoid as much atmospheric noise as possible proves beneficial. b Scenario 2, a protocol that establishes four links of entangled pairs between satellites and stations. Here, the distance-dependent trade-offs are more complex.
