New estimates of single photon parameters for satellite-based QKD

A new decoy state method has been presented to tighten the lower bound of the key generation rate for BB84 using one decoy state and one signal state. It can give us different lower and upper bounds of the fraction of single-photon counts and single-photon QBER, respectively, for one decoy state protocol. We have also analyzed the feasibility of performing quantum key distribution (QKD), with different exiting protocols, in earth-satellite and intersatellite links. Our simulation shows the choice of intensity of signal state and the effect of choosing the number of decoy states on key generation rate. The final key rate over transmission distance has been simulated, which shows that security proofs give a zero key generation rate at long distances (larger than 16,000 km). It has been shown that the practical QKD can be established with low earth orbit and medium earth orbit satellites.     

Practical non-orthogonal decoy state quantum key distribution with heralded single photon source

Recently the performance of the quantum key distribution （QKD） is substantially improved by the decoy state method and the non-orthogonal encoding protocol, separately. In this paper, a practical non-orthogonal decoy state protocol with a heralded single photon source （HSPS） for QKD is presented. The protocol is based on 4 states with different intensities. i.e. one signal state and three decoy states. The signal state is for generating keys; the decoy states are for detecting the eavesdropping and estimating the fraction of single-photon and two-photon pulses. We have discussed three cases of this protocol, i.e. the general case, the optimal case and the special case. Moreover, the final key rate over transmission distance is simulated. For the low dark count of the HSPS and the utilization of the two-photon pulses, our protocol has a higher key rate and a longer transmission distance than any other decoy state protocol.     

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.     

Passive decoy state SARG04 quantum-key-distribution with practical photon-number resolving detectors

SARG04 protocol has its advantages in defending photon number splitting attack, benefited from two-photon pulses part. In this paper, we present a passive decoy state SARG04 scheme combining with practical photon number resolving (PNR) detectors. Two kinds of practical detectors, transition-edge sensor and time-multiplexing detector, are taken into consideration. Theoretical analysis shows that both of them are compatible with the passive decoy state SARG04. Compared with the original SARG04, two detectors can boost the key generation rate and maximal secure distance obviously. Meanwhile, the result shows that quantum efficiency and dark count of the detector influence the maximal distance slightly, which indicates the prospect of implementation in real quantum key distribution system with imperfect practical PNS detectors.     

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.     

基于不同介质间量子密钥分发的研究

文章主要解决了偏振编码的光子在不同介质间进行量子密钥分发的问题,定量地分析了光子不同分量的不同透过率引起的误码率问题,并实际分析了空气-水介质间量子密钥分发引起的误码率.进一步给出了可以消除这种非理想BB84协议的单光子补偿方案,以及可以采用更加鲁棒、实用性的抗界面非幺正噪声的双光子编码方案,从而为未来实现全地域广域量子通信迈出了重要的一步.     

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。     

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.     

High Efficient Quantum Key Distribution by Random Using Classified Signal Coherent States

The decoy-state method is a useful method in resisting the attacks on quantum key distribution. However, how to choose the intensities of decoy states and the ratio of the decoy states and the signal state is still an open question. We present a simple formula to analyse the problem. We also give a simple method to derive the bounds of the necessary counting rates and quantum bit error rates for BB84 and SARG04; the latter was previously proposed by Scarani et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 （2004）057901] We then propose a multi-signal-state method which employs different coherent states either as the decoy state or as the signal state to carry out quantum key distribution. We find our protocol more efficient and feasible.     

A Novel Quantum Voting Scheme Based on BB84-State

BB84-state is the non-orthogonal single-photon state which has the advantage of easy implementation compared with the quantum multi-photon entanglement states. In this paper, based on BB84-state, by introducing a trusted third-party voting center, a quantum voting scheme is proposed. In this scheme, by performing corresponding unitary operation on BB84-state, all voters send their voting information to the tallyman Charlie, then Charlie counts all votes under the supervision of voting management center Bob, which ensures that the protocol can resist inside attacks. Moreover, by utilizing the decoy particles, our scheme can efficiently prevent outside attacks. Compared with other related quantum voting protocols, our protocol has higher qubit efficiency and fewer interactive times.

     

Improving Key Rate of Optical Fiber Quantum Key Distribution System Based on Channel Tomography

We investigate the key rate of polarization-coded optical fiber-based quantum key distribution system (QKD) with BB84 protocol by channel tomography. The quantum bit error rate (QBER) of the QKD system under depolarizing channel is obtained by analyzing output density operators, transmission rate of channel, transmission rate of the receiver and dark count of single photon detector. According to the estimated QBER an LDPC chosen adaptively is applied to information reconciliation and the practical final key rate is discussed. Analysis results show that compared with cascade scheme and no channel knowledge the key rate can be improved by the proposed reconciliation scheme with channel tomography.     

基于湍流球泡折射的空间量子密钥分发性能分析

为了研究大气湍流对自由空间量子密钥分发的性能影响,将大气湍流建模为空间中随机分布的空气球泡,利用几何光学原理分析单光子在湍流球泡中的传播,定量计算了经过两次折射后由于偏振态变化造成的光子透射率比值k和误码率Ep的起伏,利用蒙特卡洛方法模拟了湍流折射率随机变化时二者的趋势;最后推导了经过湍流折射后的诱骗态空间量子密钥分发成码率公式并通过分析误码来源得到满足成码率需要的k值上限,建立偏振误码率与入射角和湍流折射率的关系并得到Ep的安全阈值.仿真结果表明当入射角在44.8°~76.5°,湍流折射率在1~1.33范围内可以满足误码率的上限约束.该研究为湍流条件下进行空间量子通信实验提供了理论参考.     

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.     

Robustness of quantum cryptography: SARG04 key-distribution protocol

The SARG04 protocol is aimed at the improvement of the robustness of the main protocols in quantum cryptography (primarily, BB84 and B92) against the PNS attack in the case of the application of weak coherent pulses instead of the one-particle signals. An optimal attack of eavesdropper on the transmitted key is explicitly constructed for arbitrary angles between the basis states. A critical error up to which the key distribution is possible and the length of the final key are determined.     

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.     

Fluctuation Analysis of Decoy State QKD with Finite Data-Set Size

Decoy state method quantum key distribution (QKD) is one of the promisingpractical solutions for BB84 QKD with coherent light pulses. The number ofdata-set size in practical QKD protocol is always finite, which will causestatistical fluctuations. In this paper, we apply absolutely statisticalfluctuation to amend the yield and error rate of the quantum state. Therelationship between exchanged number of quantum signals and key generation rate is analyzed in our simulation, which offers a useful reference for experiment.     

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.     

Quantum key distribution without reference frame alignment: Exploiting photon orbital angular momentum

We present a new implementation of the BB84 quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol that employs a d-dimensional Hilbert space spanned by spatial modes of the propagating beam that have a definite value of orbital angular momentum. Each photon carries log d bits of information, increasing the key generation rate of the protocol. The states used in the transmission part of the protocol are invariant under rotations about the propagation direction, making this implementation independent of the alignment between the reference frames of the sender and receiver, and hence appealing for free space QKD. The protocol still works when these reference frames rotate with respect to each other.     

Upper bound on key generation rate of quantum key distribution with two-way or two-step quantum channels

We present an asymptotic security proof of deterministic quantum key distribution (DQKD) with a two-way quantum channel. The security proof of DQKD with a two-way quantum channel is different from that of BB84, because Eve can attack the travel qubits twice, both in line Bob to Alice and in line Alice to Bob. With the no-signaling principle and the property of mutual information, we obtain an upper bound of the final key generation of entanglement-based DQKD and hence single-photon four-state DQKD. Our results can be applied to the protocol of QKD with two-step quantum channels.     

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.