Improving entangled free-space quantum key distribution in the turbulent atmosphere

In this submission, we study the influence of the turbulent atmosphere on entangled photon pairs where one photon from each pair is sent over a 1.3km free-space link. With the recent update of a bright Sagnac interferometric entangled photon source, we study the effects of the turbulent atmosphere on the entangled properties of the photon pairs and the performance of the system using different pump rates and under various loss conditions. Already, we have been able to verify the theoretical prediction of Semenov and Vogel that the transmission probability tends toward a log-normal distribution in highly turbulent and lossy experimental conditions.