Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kurochkin, Yury, Papadovasilakis, Marios, Trushechkin, Anton, Piera, Rodrigo, Grieve, James A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.08481
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913350396411904
author Kurochkin, Yury
Papadovasilakis, Marios
Trushechkin, Anton
Piera, Rodrigo
Grieve, James A.
author_facet Kurochkin, Yury
Papadovasilakis, Marios
Trushechkin, Anton
Piera, Rodrigo
Grieve, James A.
contents In prepare-and-measure quantum key distribution systems, careful preparation of quantum states within the transmitter device is a significant driver of both complexity and cost. Moreover, the security guarantees of such systems rest on the correct operation of high speed quantum random number generators (QRNGs) and the high-fidelity modulation of weak optical signals by high-speed optoelectronic devices, all of which must be hardened against a variety of known side-channel attacks. A fully passive state preparation approach elegantly resolves these problems by combining state preparation and QRNG stages into a single optical instrument. By using pairs of optical pulses from a gain-switched laser diode as ready-to-use qubits, the QKD transmitter can be radically simplified, eventually comprising a single laser and local phase tomography stage. We demonstrate our simplified transmitter by establishing a QKD link over a 10 km fiber, generating a secret key rate 110 bits/s, sufficient for practical deployment in "last mile" urban quantum networks. Our results show promise in making QKD simpler and more accessible, closing a critical technology gap in building a secure quantum communication infrastructure.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_08481
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A practical transmitter device for passive state BB84 quantum key distribution
Kurochkin, Yury
Papadovasilakis, Marios
Trushechkin, Anton
Piera, Rodrigo
Grieve, James A.
Quantum Physics
In prepare-and-measure quantum key distribution systems, careful preparation of quantum states within the transmitter device is a significant driver of both complexity and cost. Moreover, the security guarantees of such systems rest on the correct operation of high speed quantum random number generators (QRNGs) and the high-fidelity modulation of weak optical signals by high-speed optoelectronic devices, all of which must be hardened against a variety of known side-channel attacks. A fully passive state preparation approach elegantly resolves these problems by combining state preparation and QRNG stages into a single optical instrument. By using pairs of optical pulses from a gain-switched laser diode as ready-to-use qubits, the QKD transmitter can be radically simplified, eventually comprising a single laser and local phase tomography stage. We demonstrate our simplified transmitter by establishing a QKD link over a 10 km fiber, generating a secret key rate 110 bits/s, sufficient for practical deployment in "last mile" urban quantum networks. Our results show promise in making QKD simpler and more accessible, closing a critical technology gap in building a secure quantum communication infrastructure.
title A practical transmitter device for passive state BB84 quantum key distribution
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.08481