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Main Authors: Zhou, Yang, Zhou, Xing-Yu, Wu, Shu-Fan, Zeng, Qiang, Yuan, Zhi-Liang, Wang, Qin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12819
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author Zhou, Yang
Zhou, Xing-Yu
Wu, Shu-Fan
Zeng, Qiang
Yuan, Zhi-Liang
Wang, Qin
author_facet Zhou, Yang
Zhou, Xing-Yu
Wu, Shu-Fan
Zeng, Qiang
Yuan, Zhi-Liang
Wang, Qin
contents High-dimensional quantum key distribution (HD-QKD) offers a promising approach to enhance secret key rates beyond conventional binary-encoded QKD, addressing the growing demand for secure data transmission. However, the practical application of most HD-QKD systems has been hindered by their complexity, as they require the preparation and detection of quantum states in large Hilbert spaces. Here, we design and experimentally realize a directly modulated laser platform for HD-QKD. It operates at a repetition rate of 312.5 MHz, yielding a remarkably simple and scalable architecture. Through which, we achieve a record transmission distance of 250 km for HD-QKD, demonstrating its feasibility for long-distance quantum communication. Furthermore, we witness that the four-dimensional states outperform their two-dimensional counterpart in secret key rate, highlighting the practical advantage of high-dimensional encoding. This simple and scalable approach shows strong potential for chip-scale integration.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_12819
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Directly Modulated Laser Platform for High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution
Zhou, Yang
Zhou, Xing-Yu
Wu, Shu-Fan
Zeng, Qiang
Yuan, Zhi-Liang
Wang, Qin
Quantum Physics
High-dimensional quantum key distribution (HD-QKD) offers a promising approach to enhance secret key rates beyond conventional binary-encoded QKD, addressing the growing demand for secure data transmission. However, the practical application of most HD-QKD systems has been hindered by their complexity, as they require the preparation and detection of quantum states in large Hilbert spaces. Here, we design and experimentally realize a directly modulated laser platform for HD-QKD. It operates at a repetition rate of 312.5 MHz, yielding a remarkably simple and scalable architecture. Through which, we achieve a record transmission distance of 250 km for HD-QKD, demonstrating its feasibility for long-distance quantum communication. Furthermore, we witness that the four-dimensional states outperform their two-dimensional counterpart in secret key rate, highlighting the practical advantage of high-dimensional encoding. This simple and scalable approach shows strong potential for chip-scale integration.
title A Directly Modulated Laser Platform for High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12819