Inherent Turbulence Immunity of Vector Vortex Beams in Free Space Quantum Key Distribution
The study investigates how hybrid polarization-OAM entangled states, called Vector Vortex Beams (VVBs), resist atmospheric turbulence during free-space quantum key distribution. By exploiting the isotropic nature of turbulence, the VVB state achieves passive immunity against phase distortions without needing active correction systems like adaptive optics. This offers a hardware-free solution for long-distance quantum communication.