QKD system with fast active optical path length compensation

We develop a quantum key distribution (QKD) system with fast active optical path length compensation. A rapid and reliable active optical path length compensation scheme is proposed and applied to a plug-and-play QKD system. The system monitors changes in key rates and controls it is own operation automatically. The system achieves its optimal performance within three seconds of operation, which includes a sifted key rate of 5.5 kbps and a quantum bit error rate of less than 2% after an abrupt temperature variation along the 25 km quantum channel. The system also operates well over a 24 h period while completing more than 60 active optical path length compensations.     

Multiuser quantum key distribution over telecom fiber networks

We report five-user quantum key distribution (QKD) over switched fiber networks in both star and tree configurations, using the BB84-protocol [1] with phase encoding. Both setups implement polarization insensitive phase modulators, necessary for birefringent single mode fiber (SMF) networks. In both configurations we have achieved transmission distances between 25 km and 50 km with quantum bit error rates between 1.24% and 5.56% for the mean photon number μ=0.1. The measurements have showed feasibility of multiuser QKD over switched fiber networks, using standard fiber telecom components.     

Experimental quantum key distribution with decoy states

To increase dramatically the distance and the secure key generation rate of quantum key distribution (QKD), the idea of quantum decoys--signals of different intensities--has recently been proposed. Here, we present the first experimental implementation of decoy state QKD. By making simple modifications to a commercial quantum key distribution system, we show that a secure key generation rate of 165 bit/s, which is 1/4 of the theoretical limit, can be obtained over 15 km of a telecommunication fiber. We also show that with the same experimental parameters, not even a single bit of secure key can be extracted with a non-decoy-state protocol. Compared to building single photon sources, decoy state QKD is a much simpler method for increasing the distance and key generation rate of unconditionally secure QKD.     

FPGA based digital phase-coding quantum key distribution system

Quantum key distribution(QKD) is a technology with the potential capability to achieve information-theoretic security. Phasecoding is an important approach to develop practical QKD systems in fiber channel. In order to improve the phase-coding modulation rate, we proposed a new digital-modulation method in this paper and constructed a compact and robust prototype of QKD system using currently available components in our lab to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The system was deployed in laboratory environment over a 50 km fiber and continuously operated during 87 h without manual interaction. The quantum bit error rate(QBER) of the system was stable with an average value of 3.22% and the secure key generation rate is 8.91 kbps. Although the modulation rate of the photon in the demo system was only 200 MHz, which was limited by the FaradayMichelson interferometer(FMI) structure, the proposed method and the field programmable gate array(FPGA) based electronics scheme have a great potential for high speed QKD systems with Giga-bits/second modulation rate.     

Sagnac quantum key distribution over telecom fiber networks

We present a new concept for compensation of single mode fiber (SMF) birefringence effects in a Sagnac quantum key distribution (QKD) setup, based on a polarization control system and a polarization insensitive phase modulator. Our experimental data show stable (in regards to birefringence drift) QKD over 1550 nm SMF telecom networks in Sagnac configuration, using the BB84-protocol [C.H. Bennett, G. Brassard, in: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Computers, Systems, and Signal Processing, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, New York, 1984, p. 175] with phase encoding. The achieved total Sagnac transmission loop distances were between 100 km and 150 km with quantum bit error rates (QBER) between 5.84% and 9.79% for the mean-photon-number μ = 0.1. The distances were much longer and rates much higher than in any other published Sagnac QKD experiments. We also show an example of our one-decoy state protocol implementations (for the 45 km distance between Alice and Bob, corresponding to the 130 km total Sagnac loop length), providing an unconditional QKD security. The measurement results have showed feasibility of QKD over telecom fiber networks in Sagnac configuration, using standard fiber telecom components.     

Cryptanalysis of Multiparty Quantum Secret Sharing of Quantum State Using Entangled States

Security of a quantum secret sharing of quantum state protocol proposed by Guo et al. [Chin. Phys. Lett. 25 （2008） 16] is reexamined. It is shown that an eavesdropper can obtain some of the transmitted secret information by monitoring the classical channel or the entire secret by intercepting the quantum states, and moreover, the eavesdropper can even maliciously replace the secret message with an arbitrary message without being detected. Finally, the deep reasons why an eavesdropper can attack this protocol are discussed and the modified protocol is presented to amend the security loopholes.     

Experimental Decoy State Quantum Key Distribution Over 120km Fibre

Decoy state quantum key distribution （QKD）, being capable of beating PNS attack and being unconditionally secure has become attractive recently. However, in many QKD systems, disturbances of transmission channel make the quantum bit error rate （QBER） increase, which limits both security distance and key bit rate of real-world decoy state QKD systems. We demonstrate the two-intensity decoy QKD with a one-way Faraday- Michelson phase modulation system, which is free of channel disturbance and keeps an interference fringe visibility （99%） long period, over a 120 km single mode optical fibre in telecom （1550nm） wavelength. This is the longest distance fibre decoy state QKD system based on the two-intensity protocol.     

湍流大气对量子密钥分布系统性能的影响

自由空间量子密钥分布系统是全球性量子保密通信的关键组成部分之一。因此研究湍流大气信道对量子密钥分布系统性能的影响就非常重要。使用光束近场传播和统计分析的方法定量分析了湍流大气信道对基于BB84协议的自由空间量子密钥分布系统的误码率的影响。数值计算结果表明,大气衰减系数超过-3dB/km时,大气衰减对量子密钥分布系统的误码率影响很大;在大气传输因子小于0.5的区域,系统误码率比无湍流影响时的系统误码率高出一个数量级。     

Large-alphabet quantum key distribution using energy-time entangled bipartite States

We present a protocol for large-alphabet quantum key distribution (QKD) using energy-time entangled biphotons. Binned, high-resolution timing measurements are used to generate a large-alphabet key with over 10 bits of information per photon pair, albeit with large noise. QKD with 5% bit error rate is demonstrated with 4 bits of information per photon pair, where the security of the quantum channel is determined by the visibility of Franson interference fringes. The protocol is easily generalizable to even larger alphabets, and utilizes energy-time entanglement which is robust to transmission over large distances in fiber.     

利用无噪线性光放大器增加连续变量量子密钥分发最远传输距离

如何提高实际量子密钥分发系统的安全码率和最远传输距离是量子密码学领域重要的研究课题. 本文采用量子无噪线性光放大器放大量子信号, 以改进连续变量量子密钥分发系统实际性能. 经仔细研究, 本文发现增益系数为g的线性无噪放大器可将连续变量量子密钥分发系统的最远安全传输距离提高20 log₁₀(g)/a km (a=0.2 dB/km为光纤信道的损耗系数), 并改善系统的安全码率和噪声抗性. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 连续变量 最远传输距离 线性无噪放大器     

Differential-phase quantum key distribution experiment using a series of quantum entangled photon pairs

We report what we believe to be the first differential-phase quantum key distribution experiment using a series of quantum entangled photon pairs. We employed two outstanding techniques. As an entangled photon source, we used a 1.5 microm band entangled photon pair source based on spontaneous four-wave mixing in a cooled dispersion-shifted fiber. As receivers, photon pairs were actively phase modulated with LiNbO3 phase modulators followed by very stable planar light-wave circuit Mach-Zehnder interferometers, which provided two nonorthogonal measurements. As a consequence, we successfully generated sifted keys with a quantum bit error rate of 8.3% and a key generation rate of 0.3 bit/s and revealed the feasibility of this QKD scheme.     

偏振稳定控制下的量子密钥分发

由于长距离单模光纤传输中存在的双折射效应会引起偏振随机抖动，光纤中利用偏振编码进行量子密钥分发一直难以实现.利用光子计数分析光纤中的偏振变化情况，并通过反馈控制的方式补偿偏振变化，从而实现了基于BB84协议的偏振编码长时间稳定的量子密钥分发实验，传输距离为100km. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 偏振反馈控制 单光子探测 偏振随机抖动     

多输入多输出量子密钥分发信道容量研究

量子安全通信是一个量子密钥分发过程,目前采用的通信技术严重制约了量子密钥分发的比特率.将多输入多输出（MIMO）技术应用于量子密钥分发系统,可提高量子密钥分发的比特率,促进量子安全通信向高速大容量发展.文中首先构造出MIMO量子密钥分发信道中多光子纠缠态Wigner算符矩阵.并在此基础上,推导出多光子双模压缩纠缠态Wigner算符矩阵和MIMO量子密钥分发信道容量.为开发稳健的MIMO量子安全通信空时处理算法和优化设计高性能MIMO量子密钥分发系统提供理论支撑和技术基础. 关键词： 多输入多输出 双模压缩态 多光子纠缠态 信道容量     

Reduction of FWM noise in WDM-based QKD systems using interleaved and unequally spaced channels

To extensively deploy quantum key distribution(QKD) systems, copropagating with classical channels on the same fiber using wavelength division multiplexing(WDM) technology becomes a critical issue. We propose a user-based channel-interleaving WDM scheme with unequal frequency spacing(UFS-i WDM) to reduce the impairment on the quantum channels induced by four-wave mixing(FWM), and theoretically analyze its impact on quantum bit error rate(QBER). Numerical simulation results show that a UFS-i WDM can significantly reduce the FWM noise and improve QBER compared with the corresponding WDM scheme with equal frequency spacing(EFS), especially in the case of nonzero dispersion shifted fiber.     

Security of the Decoy State Two-Way Quantum Key Distribution with Finite Resources

The quantum key distribution(QKD) allows two parties to share a secret key by typically making use of a one-way quantum channel However,the two-way QKD has its own unique advantages,which means the two-way QKD has become a focus recently.To improve the practical performance of the two-way QKD,we present a security analysis of a two-way QKD protocol based on the decoy method with heralded single-photon sources(HSPSs).We make use of two approaches to calculate the yield and the quantum bit error rate of single-photon and two-photon pulses.Then we present the secret key generation rate based on the GLLP formula.The numerical simulation shows that the protocol with HSPSs has an advantage in the secure distance compared with weak coherent state sources.In addition,we present the final secret key generation rate of the LM05 protocol with finite resources by considering the statistical fluctuation of the yield and the error rate.     

长程光纤传输的时间抖动对相位编码量子密钥分发系统的影响

测量了光脉冲在不同传输距离和不同外界环境影响下基于差分相位编码和双不等臂M-Z相位编码系统的时间抖动,并根据时间抖动的分布情况建立了相位编码量子密钥分发系统中误码率和时间抖动关系的物理模型,给出了单光子脉冲一般波形函数和误码率之间的关系式,根据这个关系式可以得出确定波形单光子脉冲在确定时间抖动分布情况下系统误码率的结果. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 相位编码 时间抖动 误码率     

对称噪声信道下利用多纠缠态实现量子密钥分配

研究了对称噪声信道下的量子密钥分配(Quantum Key Distribution,QKD)过程，并得到了其误码率和信道保真度的关系式。基于量子态的局域区分原理，我们提出了使用“多纠缠态”进行噪声信道下的密钥分配的新方案。应用这个新方案，我们可以获得和在理想无噪声信道下使用最大纠缠态(四个Bell态之一)进行QKD一样好的结果。     

Unconditional security of a three state quantum key distribution protocol

Quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols are cryptographic techniques with security based only on the laws of quantum mechanics. Two prominent QKD schemes are the Bennett-Brassard 1984 and Bennett 1992 protocols that use four and two quantum states, respectively. In 2000, Phoenix et al. proposed a new family of three-state protocols that offers advantages over the previous schemes. Until now, an error rate threshold for security of the symmetric trine spherical code QKD protocol has been shown only for the trivial intercept-resend eavesdropping strategy. In this Letter, we prove the unconditional security of the trine spherical code QKD protocol, demonstrating its security up to a bit error rate of 9.81%. We also discuss how this proof applies to a version of the trine spherical code QKD protocol where the error rate is evaluated from the number of inconclusive events.     

Practical decoy-state BB84 quantum key distribution with quantum memory

We generalize BB84 quantum key distribution(QKD) to the scenario where the receiver adopts a heralded quantum memory(QM). With the heralded QM, the valid dark count rate of the receiver's single photon detectors can be mitigated obviously, which will lower the quantum bit error rate, and thus improve the performance of decoy-state BB84 QKD systems in long distance range. Simulation results show that, with practical experimental system parameters, decoy-state BB84 QKD with QM can exhibit performance comparable to that of without QM in short distance range, and exhibit performance better than that without QM in long distance range.     

Experimental long-distance decoy-state quantum key distribution based on polarization encoding

We demonstrate the decoy-state quantum key distribution (QKD) with one-way quantum communication in polarization space over 102 km. Further, we simplify the experimental setup and use only one detector to implement the one-way decoy-state QKD over 75 km, with the advantage to overcome the security loopholes due to the efficiency mismatch of detectors. Our experimental implementation can really offer the unconditionally secure final keys. We use 3 different intensities of 0, 0.2, and 0.6 for the light sources in our experiment. In order to eliminate the influences of polarization mode dispersion in the long-distance single-mode optical fiber, an automatic polarization compensation system is utilized to implement the active compensation.