Passive decoy-state quantum key distribution for the weak coherent photon source with finite-length key

Passive decoy-state quantum key distribution systems, proven to be more desirable than active ones in some scenarios,also have the problem of device imperfections like finite-length keys. In this paper, based on the WCP source which can be used for the passive decoy-state method, we obtain the expressions of single-photon error rates, single-photon counts, and phase error rates. According to the information of smooth min-entropy, we calculate the key generation rate under the condition of finite-length key. Key generation rates with different numbers of pulses are compared by numerical simulations. From the results, it can be seen that the passive decoy-state method can have good results if the total number of pulses reaches 1010. We also simulate the passive decoy-state method with different probabilities of choosing a pulse for parameter estimation when the number of pulses is fixed.     

基于相干叠加态的非正交编码诱骗态量子密钥分发

非正交编码协议和诱骗态方法可以有效地抵御光子数分离攻击. 由于相干叠加态中单光子成分高达90%, 常作为单光子量子比特的替代出现, 用于量子信息过程处理和计算. 本文结合非正交编码协议和诱骗态方法提出一种新的量子密钥分发方案, 光源采用相干叠加态, 推导了单光子的密钥生成速率、计数率下限和误码率的上限, 利用Matlab 模拟了无限多诱骗态情况下和有限多诱骗态情况下密钥生成速率和传输距离的关系, 得出该方案可以提升密钥生成速率并且提高安全传输距离, 验证了该方案可以进一步提高量子密钥分发系统的性能.     

基于弱相干光的实际QKD系统的安全性研究

实际量子密钥分发系统使用的单光子源主要是由弱激光脉冲经衰减得到。它不是理想单光子源而是服从泊松分布的准单光子源。每个非空光脉冲中包含多光子的概率不为零,强大的窃听者可利用此获得一些关于最终密钥的信息。因此,有必要研究实际QKD系统的安全性。采用对多光子进行分束窃听、单光子最佳攻击相结合的方案,用Shannon信息理论分析了基于弱相干光的实际QKD系统的安全性。研究结果表明实际QKD系统对于分束窃听和最佳攻击是安全的,并给出合法通信双方在该攻击方案下所容忍的误码率上限。     

基于条件参量下转换光子对的非正交编码诱惑态量子密钥分发

诱惑态方法和非正交编码协议可以有效的抵制光子数分束攻击,所以近来得到了广泛的关注.这里结合了这两种方法提出了一种新方案,光源采用呈泊松分布的参量下转换光子对,发送方随机的改变抽运光的强度获得不同强度的信号光,信号态用来产生密钥,诱惑态用来监测窃听,并估算单光子和两光子的计数率和量子误码率,模拟了密钥产生率与传输距离的关系曲线,分析了该方案可以进一步提高安全量子密钥分发的性能.     

New protocols for non-orthogonal quantum key distribution

Combining the passive decoy-state idea with the active decoy-state idea, a non-orthogonal (SARG04) decoy-state protocol with one vacuum and two weak decoy states is introduced based on a heralded pair coherent state photon source for quantum key distribution. Two special cases of this protocol are deduced, i.e., a one-vacuum-and-one-weak-decoy-state protocol and a one-weak-decoy-state protocol. In these protocols, the sender prepares decoy states actively, which avoids the crude estimation of parameters in the SARG04 passive decoy-state method. With the passive decoy-state idea, the detection events on Bob’s side that are non-triggered on Alice’s side are not discarded, but used to estimate the fractions of single-photon and two-photon pulses, which offsets the limitation of the detector’s low efficiency and overcomes the shortcoming that the performance of the active decoy-state protocol critically depends on the efficiency of detector. The simulation results show that the combination of the active and passive decoy-state ideas increases the key generation rate. With a one-vacuum-and-two-weak-decoy-state protocol, one can achieve a key generation rate that is close to the theoretical limit of an infinite decoy-state protocol. The performance of the other two protocols is a little less than with the former, but the implementation is easier. Under the same condition of implementation, higher key rates can be obtained with our protocols than with existing methods.     

Round-Robin Differential Phase Shift with Heralded Single-Photon Source

Round-robin differential phase shift(RRDPS) is a novel quantum key distribution protocol which can bound information leakage without monitoring signal disturbance. In this work, to decrease the effect of the vacuum component in a weak coherent pulses source, we employ a practical decoy-state scheme with heralded singlephoton source for the RRDPS protocol and analyze the performance of this method. In this scheme, only two decoy states are needed and the yields of single-photon state and multi-photon states, as well as the bit error rates of each photon states, can be estimated. The final key rate of this scheme is bounded and simulated over transmission distance. The results show that the two-decoy-state method with heralded single-photon source performs better than the two-decoy-state method with weak coherent pulses.     

The security and recent technology of quantum key distribution

In principle, quantum key distribution (QKD) can be used to make unconditionally secure private communication. However, the security of the existing real system for QKD needs to be carefully examined. Actually, the existing experiments based on weak coherent states are not secure under photon-number-splitting attack. Fortunately, the decoy-state method and the entanglement-distribution method can be used to realize the unconditionally secure QKD based on real-life systems with existing technology.     

量子保密通信的技术现状及安全性

理论上，量子密钥分发可以带来绝对安全的保密通信．但是真实系统的量子密钥分发的安全性需要进一步证明．现有的基于弱相干态的量子密码实验在光子数分离攻击下是完全不安全的．诱骗信号方案（decoy-state method）及纠缠对分发方案可以实现基于现有技术的、真实系统的绝对安全量子密钥分发．     

基于弱相干态光源的非正交编码被动诱骗态量子密钥分配

基于改造的弱相干态光源,提出了一种非正交编码被动诱骗态量子密钥分配方案.该方案不主动制备诱骗态,而是根据发送端探测器是否响应,将接收端的探测结果分为响应集合和未响应集合,以此分别作为信号态和诱骗态,并利用这两个集合来估计参量和生成密钥.数值仿真表明,非正交编码被动诱骗态方案的密钥生成效率和安全传输距离都优于现有的被动诱骗态方案,且性能非常接近主动无穷诱骗态方案的理论极限值;未响应集合对密钥生成的参与使方案性能免受发送端探测效率的影响,弥补了实际探测器探测效率低下的缺陷;由于不需要主动制备诱骗态,该方案实现非常简单,适用于高速量子密钥分配的场合. 关键词： 量子光学 量子密钥分配 被动诱骗态 密钥生成效率     

Quantum key distribution using quantum-correlated photon sources

Quantum key exchanges using weak coherent (Poissonian) single-photon sources are open to attack by a variety of eavesdropping techniques. Quantum-correlated photon sources provide a means of flagging potentially insecure multiple-photon emissions and thus extending the secure quantum key channel capacity and the secure key distribution range. We present indicative photon-counting statistics for a fully correlated Poissonian multibeam photon source in which the transmitted beam is conditioned by photon number measurements on the remaining beams with non-ideal multiphoton counters. We show that significant rejection of insecure photon pulses from a twin-beam source cannot be obtained with a detector having a realistic quantum efficiency. However quantum-correlated (quadruplet or octuplet) multiplet photon sources conditioned by high efficiency multiphoton counters could provide large improvements in the secure channel capacity and the secure distribution range of high loss systems such as those using the low earth orbit satellite links proposed for global quantum key distribution. Received 14 July and Received in final form 20 November 2001     

Performance of passive decoy-state quantum key distribution with mismatched local detectors

In quantum key distribution(QKD),the passive decoy-state method can simplify the intensity modulation and reduce some of side-channel information leakage and modulation errors.It is usually implemented with a heralded single-photon source.In Wang et al 2016(Phys.Rev.A 96032312),a novel passive decoy-state method is proposed by Wang et al,which uses two local detectors to generate more detection events for tightly estimating channel parameters.However,in the original scheme,the two local detectors are assumed to be identical,including the same detection efficiency and dark count rate,which is often not satisfied in the realistic experiment.In this paper,we construct a model for this passive decoy-state QKD scheme with two mismatched detectors and explore the effect on QKD performance with certain parameters.We also take the finite-size effect into consideration,showing the performance with statistical fluctuations.The results show that the efficiencies of local detectors affect the key rate more obviously than dark count rates.     

Beating the photon-number-splitting attack in practical quantum cryptography

We propose an efficient method to verify the upper bound of the fraction of counts caused by multiphoton pulses in practical quantum key distribution using weak coherent light, given whatever type of Eve's action. The protocol simply uses two coherent states for the signal pulses and vacuum for the decoy pulse. Our verified upper bound is sufficiently tight for quantum key distribution with a very lossy channel, in both the asymptotic and nonasymptotic case. So far our protocol is the only decoy-state protocol that works efficiently for currently existing setups.     

The Decoy-State Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Heralded Single-Photon Source

Based on heralded single-photon source (HSPS), a decoy-state measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) protocol is proposed in this paper. The MDI-QKD protocol mainly uses orbital angular momentum (OAM) states and pulse position modulation (PPM) technology to realize the coding of the signal states in heralded single-photon source. The three-intensity decoy states are used to avoid the attacks against the light source. Moreover, the formula of key generation rate is given by computing the lower bound of the yield of single-photon pairs and the upper bound of the error rate of single-photon pairs. Numerical simulation shows that the new MDI-QKD protocol has high key generation rate and low error rate. Moreover, the secure communication distance can be up to 450 km.

     

Long-distance decoy-state quantum key distribution in optical fiber

The theoretical existence of photon-number-splitting attacks creates a security loophole for most quantum key distribution (QKD) demonstrations that use a highly attenuated laser source. Using ultralow-noise, high-efficiency transition-edge sensor photodetectors, we have implemented the first version of a decoy-state protocol that incorporates finite statistics without the use of Gaussian approximations in a one-way QKD system, enabling the creation of secure keys immune to photon-number-splitting attacks and highly resistant to Trojan horse attacks over 107 km of optical fiber.     

Experimental decoy-state quantum key distribution with a sub-poissionian heralded single-photon source

We have experimentally demonstrated a decoy-state quantum key distribution scheme (QKD) with a heralded single-photon source based on parametric down-conversion. We used a one-way Bennett-Brassard 1984 protocol with a four states and one-detector phase-coding scheme, which is immune to recently proposed time-shift attacks, photon-number splitting attacks, and can also be proven to be secure against Trojan horse attacks and any other standard individual or coherent attacks. In principle, the setup can tolerate the highest losses or it can give the highest secure key generation rate under fixed losses compared with other practical schemes. This makes it a quite promising candidate for future quantum key distribution systems.     

Security of a two-parameter quantum cryptography system using time-shifted states against photon-number splitting attacks

A new family of two-parameter quantum key distribution protocols is discussed where eavesdropping is detected by using two parameters: bit error rate Q and photon count rate q in control time slots. When a single-photon source is used and mutually orthogonal states are prepared in each basis, the protocol’s maximum tolerable error rate for secure key distribution is the highest, reaching a theoretical upper limit of 50%. When the signal states emitted by the source of attenuated laser light include multiphoton coherent states, the protocol also guarantees secure key distribution over the longest distance as compared to other quantum cryptography systems, up to the channel length for which the channel losses are sufficiently high that all five-photon pulses can be blocked by an eavesdropper.     

Proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of quantum secure imaging based on quantum key distribution

We present a quantum secure imaging(QSI) scheme based on the phase encoding and weak+vacuum decoy-state BB84 protocol of quantum key distribution(QKD). It allows us to implement a computational ghost imaging(CGI) system with more simplified equipment and reconstructed algorithm by using a digital micro-mirror device(DMD) to preset the specific spatial distribution of the light intensity. What is more, the quantum bit error rate(QBER) and the secure key rate analytical functions of QKD are used to see through the intercept-resend jamming attacks and ensure the authenticity of the imaging information. In the experiment, we obtained the image of the object quickly and efficiently by measuring the signal photon counts with a single-photon detector(SPD), and achieved a secure key rate of 571.0 bps and a secure QBER of 3.99%, which is well below the lower bound of QBER of 14.51%. Besides, our imaging system uses a laser with invisible wavelength of 1550 nm, whose intensity is as low as single-photon, that can realize weak-light imaging and is immune to the stray light or air turbulence, thus it will become a better choice for quantum security radar against intercept-resend jamming attacks.     

Quantum key distribution with high loss: toward global secure communication

We propose a decoy-pulse method to overcome the photon-number-splitting attack for Bennett-Brassard 1984 quantum key distribution protocol in the presence of high loss: A legitimate user intentionally and randomly replaces signal pulses by multiphoton pulses (decoy pulses). Then they check the loss of the decoy pulses. If the loss of the decoy pulses is abnormally less than that of signal pulses, the whole protocol is aborted. Otherwise, to continue the protocol, they estimate the loss of signal multiphoton pulses based on that of decoy pulses. This estimation can be done with an assumption that the two losses have similar values. We justify that assumption.     

Decoy-state reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution with both source errors and statistical fluctuations

Reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution(RFI QKD) can generate secret keys without the alignment of reference frames, which is very robust in real-life implementations of QKD systems. However, the performance of decoystate RFI QKD with both source errors and statistical fluctuations is still missing until now. In this paper, we investigate the performance of decoy-state RFI QKD in practical scenarios with two kinds of light sources, the heralded single photon source(HSPS) and the weak coherent source(WCS), and also give clear comparison results of decoy-state RFI QKD with WCS and HSPS. Simulation results show that the secret key rates of decoy-state RFI QKD with WCS are higher than those with HSPS in short distance range, but the secret key rates of RFI QKD with HSPS outperform those with WCS in long distance range.     

基于标记配对相干态光源的诱骗态量子密钥分配性能分析

从有效性、稳定性和可行性三个方面, 对基于标记配对相干态光源的诱骗态量子密钥分配的性能进行了全面分析. 采用四组实验数据对基于标记配对相干态光源的三强度诱骗态方案的密钥生成效率、量子比特误码率和最优信号态强度与安全传输距离之间的关系进行了仿真和分析; 考虑到光源涨落, 对方案的稳定性进行了讨论和仿真; 并对基于标记配对相干态光源设计简单易实现方案的可行性进行了分析. 结论表明: 基于标记配对相干态光源的诱骗态方案性能在安全传输距离和密钥生成效率两方面都优于现有基于弱相干态光源和预报单光子源的诱骗态方案; 在光源强度涨落相同条件下, 标记配对相干态光源的稳定性逊于预报单光子源, 而优于相干态光源. 但是标记配对相干态光源在有效性上的优势可弥补其在稳定性上的不足; 且标记配对相干态光源的双模特性为设计简单易实现的被动诱骗态方案提供了条件. 关键词： 量子光学 量子密钥分配 标记配对相干态光源 性能