A long-distance quantum key distribution scheme based on pre-detection of optical pulse with auxiliary state

We construct a circuit based on PBS and CNOT gates, which can be used to determine whether the input pulse is empty or not according to the detection result of the auxiliary state, while the input state will not be changed. The circuit can be treated as a pre-detection device. Equipping the pre-detection device in the front of the receiver of the quantum key distribution(QKD) can reduce the influence of the dark count of the detector, hence increasing the secure communication distance significantly. Simulation results show that the secure communication distance can reach 516 km and 479 km for QKD with perfect single photon source and decoy-state QKD with weak coherent photon source, respectively.     

光纤耦合对量子密钥分配系统光子探测的影响

借助量子密码术和卫星可以实现全球性的保密通信网络。但使用现有的单光子探测模块搭建星地量子密钥分配(QKD)系统,接收端就面临着空间光-多模光纤耦合的技术挑战。空间光-多模光纤耦合条件对星地量子密钥分配系统的跟瞄精度提出了严格要求。理论分析和定量计算表明,跟瞄精度ε与光束发散角θdiv的比值ε/dθiv≤0.5时,星地量子密钥分配系统的光子探测概率较高,系统可以正常工作;ε/dθiv≤0.1时,系统处于量子密钥产生速率为几kb/s的更理想状况。采用短波长更有利于满足空间光-多模光纤耦合条件,同时有利于系统获得更高的密钥产生速率。     

An Efficient Routing Protocol for Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Quantum key distribution (QKD) can provide point-to-point information-theoretic secure key services for two connected users. In fact, the development of QKD networks needs more focus from the scientific community in order to broaden the service scale of QKD technology to deliver end-to-end secure key services. Of course, some recent efforts have been made to develop secure communication protocols based on QKD. However, due to the limited key generation capability of QKD devices, high quantum secure key utilization is the major concern for QKD networks. Since traditional routing techniques do not account for the state of quantum secure keys on links, applying them in QKD networks directly will result in underutilization of quantum secure keys. Therefore, an efficient routing protocol for QKD networks, especially for large-scale QKD networks, is desperately needed. In this study, an efficient routing protocol based on optimized link-state routing, namely QOLSR, is proposed for QKD networks. QOLSR considerably improves quantum key utilization in QKD networks through link-state awareness and path optimization. Simulation results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed QOLSR routing protocol. Most importantly, with the growth of communication traffic, the benefit becomes even more apparent.     

1.55 μm升频单光子探测量子密钥分配系统的性能研究

分析了1.55 μm升频单光子探测量子密钥分配(QKD)系统的性能,讨论了升频单光子探测器的主要参数：量子效率和暗计数与抽运功率的关系.比较了BB84协议、BBM92协议和DPSK协议的光纤QKD系统的性能：安全通信速率与距离的关系,通过比较得出升频探测器优于传统的InGaAs/InP雪崩二极管单光子探测器,用升频探测器后的通信距离能比传统的大两倍以上,能很好改善量子通信系统的性能. 关键词： 量子效率 通信速率 暗计数     

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.     

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.     

On the vulnerability of basic quantum key distribution protocols and three protocols stable to attack with “blinding” of avalanche photodetectors

The fundamental quantum mechanics prohibitions on the measurability of quantum states allow secure key distribution between spatially remote users to be performed. Experimental and commercial implementations of quantum cryptography systems, however, use components that exist at the current technology level, in particular, one-photon avalanche photodetectors. These detectors are subject to the blinding effect. It was shown that all the known basic quantum key distribution protocols and systems based on them are vulnerable to attacks with blinding of photodetectors. In such attacks, an eavesdropper knows all the key transferred, does not produce errors at the reception side, and remains undetected. Three protocols of quantum key distribution stable toward such attacks are suggested. The security of keys and detection of eavesdropping attempts are guaranteed by the internal structure of protocols themselves rather than additional technical improvements.     

Side-channel-free quantum key distribution

Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers the promise of absolutely secure communications. However, proofs of absolute security often assume perfect implementation from theory to experiment. Thus, existing systems may be prone to insidious side-channel attacks that rely on flaws in experimental implementation. Here we replace all real channels with virtual channels in a QKD protocol, making the relevant detectors and settings inside private spaces inaccessible while simultaneously acting as a Hilbert space filter to eliminate side-channel attacks. By using a quantum memory we find that we are able to bound the secret-key rate below by the entanglement-distillation rate computed over the distributed states.     

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.     

基于量子存储的长距离测量设备无关量子密钥分配研究

针对量子中继器短时间内难以应用于长距离量子密钥分配系统的问题, 提出了基于量子存储的长距离测量设备无关量子密钥分配协议, 分析了其密钥生成率与存储效率、信道传输效率和安全传输距离等参数间的关系, 研究了该协议中量子存储单元的退相干效应对最终密钥生成率的影响, 比较了经典测量设备无关量子密钥分配协议和基于量子存储的测量设备无关量子密钥分配协议的密钥生成率与安全传输距离的关系. 仿真结果表明, 添加量子存储单元后, 协议的安全传输距离由无量子存储的216 km增加至500 km, 且量子存储退相干效应带来的误码对最终的密钥生成率影响较小. 实验中可以采取调节信号光强度的方式提高测量设备无关量子密钥分配系统的密钥生成率, 为实用量子密钥分配实验提供了重要的理论参数.     

On the vulnerability of the swiss system of coherent quantum cryptography to an attack with repeated measurements

It has been shown that the coherent quantum cryptography protocol (Coherent One Way) and, correspondingly, fiber optic systems involving this protocol for quantum key distribution, are vulnerable to an attack with repeated measurements and do not guarantee the security of distributed keys in a communication channel with losses. The coherent quantum cryptography system is used in Switzerland as one of the key distribution channels in the framework of the network project SECOQC (SEcure COmmunications based on Quantum Cryptography). A critical attack with repeated measurements was missed when the cryptographic strength of this protocol was analyzed. The critical length of the communication channel has been determined; this is a value above which secure key distribution is certainly impossible. Beginning with the critical length, an eavesdropper knows the entire distributed key, does not introduce errors at the receiver end, and remains undetected. For typical parameters in a real system (the average photon number μ = 0.5 and the quantum efficiency of avalanche detectors η = 0.1, see N. Gisin, G. Ribordy, H. Zbinden, et al., arXiv:quant-ph/0411022 and D. Stucki, C. Barreiro, S. Fasel, et al., arXiv:quant-ph/08095264), the security of keys cannot be guaranteed even for a communication channel whose length is as small as wished.     

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.     

Structured codes improve the Bennett-Brassard-84 quantum key rate

A central goal in information theory and cryptography is finding simple characterizations of optimal communication rates under various restrictions and security requirements. Ideally, the optimal key rate for a quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol would be given by a single-letter formula involving optimization over a single use of an effective channel. We explore the possibility of such a formula for the simplest and most widely used QKD protocol, Bennnett-Brassard-84 with one-way classical postprocessing. We show that a conjectured single-letter formula is false, uncovering a deep ignorance about good private codes and exposing unfortunate complications in the theory of QKD. These complications are not without benefit-with added complexity comes better key rates than previously thought possible. The threshold for secure key generation improves from a bit error rate of 0.124 to 0.129.     

量子密钥分配系统中的通信速率和误码率

基于通信速率和误码率在量子保密通信研究中的重要性, 采用1.55 μm上转换单光子探测器, 分析其量子效率随抽运功率的变化关系, 得出1.55 μm上转换单光子探测器较传统的铟镓砷二极管具有较高的量子效率和较低暗计数的优势, 并根据通信距离、上转换单光子探测器的量子效率和暗计数之间建立一种平衡, 得出每种距离上探测器的优化方案; 在考虑个体攻击无量子记忆的条件下, 比较BB84协议, BBM92协议和差分相移协议的量子密钥分配(QKD)系统的安全通信速率和误码率随通信距离的变化关系, 得出了差分相移键控协议的量子密钥分配系统是一个非常实用的, 通信距离大于200 km的很有吸引力的长距离量子密钥分配系统。     

诱惑态在“双探测器”准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统中的应用

现在诱惑态已被证明是一种可以大大提高量子密钥分发安全性能的现实可行的方法.由于考虑到现实应用中激光器在调制过程中的消光比不能做到100%,以及激光器固有的自发辐射因而使得制备真空态并不是一件容易的事情. 因此本文将对理想情况下准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统应用中的诱惑态结论作了补充和扩展,提出了两个弱光强态的诱惑态方案和一个弱光强诱惑态方案.最后,将“双探测器”的理论应用在准单光子源(HSPS)光源系统中,使系统的安全传输距离可达到2215km,比使用普通探测器的系统增加了约50km. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 诱惑态 HSPS光源 双探测器     

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.     

一种K分布强湍流下的测量设备无关量子密钥分发方案

研究了K分布强湍流下自由空间测量设备无关量子密钥分发协议模型,采用阈值后选择方法来减少大气湍流对密钥生成率的影响,对比分析了使用阈值后选择方法前后协议的密钥率和湍流强度之间的关系.仿真结果表明,使用阈值后选择方法可以有效地提高协议的密钥生成率,尤其是在高损耗和强湍流区域,而且其最佳阈值与湍流强度、信道平均损耗有关,对实际搭建性能较好的自由空间测量设备无关量子密钥分发协议系统具有一定的参考价值.     

Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Two-Way Local Operations and Classical Communications

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution(MDI-QKD) is proven to be immune to all the detector side channel attacks.With two symmetric quantum channeis,the maximal transmission distance can be doubled when compared with the prepare-and-measure QKD.An interesting question is whether the transmission distance can be extended further.In this work,we consider the contributions of the two-way local operations and classical communications to the key generation rate and transmission distance of the MDI-QKD.Our numerical results show that the secure transmission distances are increased by about 12 km and 8 km when the 1 B and the2 B steps are implemented,respectively.     

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．