Single-Photon Detectors for Satellite and CubeSat Quantum Key Distribution: A Systematic Evidence Map.

Georgi Tsochev, Elitsa Gieva, Maria Nenova

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Entropy (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Georgi TsochevDepartment of Information Technologies in Industry, Faculty of Computer Systems and Technology, Technical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0003-2442-8311

Elitsa GievaDepartment of Microelectronics, Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technologies, Technical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-2705-1954

Maria NenovaDepartment of Computer Networks, Faculty of Telecommunications, Technical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-5120-6979

Funding

"Development of infrastructure and environment for aerospace education and research at TU-Sofia /INSATUS/" by the contract with "Research and development sector at TU-Sofia" 253СН0001-04

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Advancing satellite and CubeSat quantum key distribution (QKD) requires receiver-level engineering trade studies, because secure-key feasibility in space is limited by single-photon detectors (SPDs) operating under SWaP, thermal, and radiation constraints. However, the question arises: does the literature provide sufficiently consistent evidence to guide detector selection for space QKD? This systematic evidence map examines how recent research connects SNSPDs, Si SPAD/APD, InGaAs SPAD/APD, and NFAD variants to CubeSat QKD and space-based quantum communication links. To do so, a concept-token methodology identifies mission contexts and detector families through targeted keywords and key phrases, followed by structured extraction of detection efficiency

Indexed as

avalanche photodiodesCubeSatQKDquantum communicationradiation effectssatellitesingle-photon detectorsSNSPDSPADtiming jitter

Identifiers

PMID41899947

DOI10.3390/e28030295

PMCPMC13025217

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.