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arXiv:1707.00387 · Quantum Science and Technology

Proof-of-principle experimental realization of a qubit-like qudit-based quantum key distribution scheme

Shuang Wang, Zhen−Qiang Yin, H. F. Chau, Wei Chen, Chao Wang, Guang‐Can Guo, Zheng‐Fu Han

Published Feb 5, 2018• 41 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In comparison to qubit-based protocols, qudit-based quantum key distribution ones generally allow two cooperative parties to share unconditionally secure keys under a higher channel noise. However, it is very hard to prepare and measure the required quantum states in qudit-based protocols in general. One exception is the recently proposed highly error tolerant qudit-based protocol known as the Chau15 (Chau 2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324). Remarkably, the state preparation and measurement in this protocol can be done relatively easily since the required states are phase encoded almost like the diagonal basis states of a qubit. Here we report the first proof-of-principle demonstration of the Chau15 protocol. One highlight of our experiment is that its post-processing is based on practical one-way manner, while the original proposal in Chau (2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324) relies on complicated two-way post-processing, which is a great challenge in experiment. In addition, by manipulating time-bin qudit and measurement with a variable delay interferometer, our realization is extensible to qudit with high-dimensionality and confirms the experimental feasibility of the Chau15 protocol.

DOI
10.1088/2058-9565/aaace4

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In comparison to qubit-based protocols, qudit-based quantum key distribution ones generally allow two cooperative parties to share unconditionally secure keys under a higher channel noise. However, it is very hard to prepare and measure the required quantum states in qudit-based protocols in general. One exception is the recently proposed highly error tolerant qudit-based protocol known as the Chau15 (Chau 2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324). Remarkably, the state preparation and measurement in this protocol can be done relatively easily since the required states are phase encoded almost like the diagonal basis states of a qubit. Here we report the first proof-of-principle demonstration of the Chau15 protocol. One highlight of our experiment is that its post-processing is based on practical one-way manner, while the original proposal in Chau (2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324) relies on complicated two-way post-processing, which is a great challenge in experiment. In addition, by manipulating time-bin qudit and measurement with a variable delay interferometer, our realization is extensible to qudit with high-dimensionality and confirms the experimental feasibility of the Chau15 protocol.
Recently, Chau [Phys. Rev. A 92, 062324 (2015)] introduced an experimentally feasible qudit-based quantum-key-distribution (QKD) scheme. In that scheme, one bit of information is phase encoded in the prepared state in a 2n{2}^{n}2n-dimensional Hilbert space in the form $(|i\ensuremath{\rangle}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}|j\ensuremath{\rangle})/\sqrt{2}$ with $n\ensuremath{\ge}2$. For each qudit prepared and measured in the same two-dimensional Hilbert subspace, one bit of raw secret key is obtained in the absence of transmission error. Here we show that by modifying the basis announcement procedure, the same experimental setup can generate nnn bits of raw key for each qudit prepared and measured in the same basis in the noiseless situation. The reason is that in addition to the phase information, each qudit also carries information on the Hilbert subspace used. The additional $(n\ensuremath{-}1)$ bits of raw key comes from a clever utilization of this extra piece of information. We prove the unconditional security of this modified protocol and compare its performance with other existing provably secure qubit- and qudit-based protocols on market in the one-way classical communication setting. Interestingly, we find that for the case of n=2n=2n=2, the secret key rate of this modified protocol using nondegenerate random quantum code to perform one-way entanglement distillation is equal to that of the six-state scheme.
Measurement-device-independent (MDI) method is a way to solve all detector side-channel attacks in quantum key distribution (QKD). However, very little work has been done on experimentally feasible qudit-based MDI-QKD scheme although the famous (qudit-based) round-robin differential-phase-shift (RRDPS) scheme is vulnerable to attacks on uncharacterized detectors. Here we report a mother-of-all QKD protocol on which all provably secure qubit-based QKD schemes known to date including the RRDPS and the so-called Chau15 schemes are based. We also report an experimentally feasible MDI system via optical implementation of entanglement swapping based on a recent qudit teleportation proposal by Goyal et al. In this way, we show that all provably secure qudit-based QKD schemes discovered to date can be made MDI.
Most prior semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) protocols are designed in the context of qubits. In this paper, we proposed an SQKD protocol using ([Formula: see text]+1) quantum states in two mutually unbiased bases in the context of qudits without invoking the classical party’s measurement capability. It not only decreases the quantum states sent by quantum party by half, but also improves the efficiency of key rate than qubits do. To prove the security of present protocol, we first illustrate that the present protocol is completely robust, and then prove its unconditional security from information theoretical perspective by computing its key rate and noise tolerance against cloning-based individual attack. The unconditional security proof demonstrates that the higher dimension of quantum system is, the higher key rate can be obtained and the higher noise tolerance is allowed in depolarization channel.
Abstract High-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) based on entangled qudits has emerged as a promising route for advancing the performance and practicality of quantum communication. By extending beyond the qubit framework, qudit entanglement enables the encoding of multiple bits per particle and offers greater robustness against noise, loss, and eavesdropping. In this review, we present qudit-based entanglement QKD protocols and their experimental demonstrations. We first introduce the basic concepts of qudits and provide an overview of foundational qubit-based entanglement QKD schemes, such as Ekert '91 (E91) and Bennett–Brassard–Mermin '92 (BBM92), which establish the core principles of entanglement-based secure key generation. Subsequently, we examine the generalization of these protocols to entangled qudits, highlighting how higher dimensionality enhances secure key rates and noise tolerance. Finally, we survey experimental demonstrations of qudit-based entanglement QKD across photonic platforms and outline prospects, showing that high-dimensional entanglement can be reliably generated, distributed, and measured for QKD with high stability and scalability. Remarkably, these achievements not only verify the feasibility of practical high-dimensional QKD, but also demonstrate clear advantages over qubit-based systems. Overall, theoretical frameworks and experimental realizations reviewed here position photonic qudit-based entanglement QKD as a promising resource for scalable, high-speed, and secure quantum communication networks, unveiling its potential as a central component in the future of quantum information technologies.
Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI QKD) is an efficient way to share secrets using untrusted measurement devices. However, the assumption on the characterizations of encoding states is still necessary in this promising protocol, which may lead to unnecessary complexity and potential loopholes in realistic implementations. Here, by using the mismatched-basis statistics, we present the first proof-of-principle experiment of MDI QKD with uncharacterized encoding sources. In this demonstration, the encoded states are only required to be constrained in a two-dimensional Hilbert space, and two distant parties (Alice and Bob) are resistant to state preparation flaws even if they have no idea about the detailed information of their encoding states. The positive final secure key rates of our system exhibit the feasibility of this novel protocol, and demonstrate its value for the application of secure communication with uncharacterized devices.
All known qudit-based prepare-and-measure quantum key distribution (PMQKD) schemes are more error resilient than their qubit-based counterparts. Their high error resiliency comes partly from the careful encoding of multiple bits of signals used to generate the raw key in each transmitted qudit so that the same eavesdropping attempt causes a higher bit error rate (BER) in the raw key. Here I show that highly-error-tolerant PMQKD schemes can be constructed simply by encoding one bit of classical information in each transmitted qudit in the form $(|i\ensuremath{\rangle}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}|j\ensuremath{\rangle})/\sqrt{2}$, where $|i\ensuremath{\rangle}$'s form an orthonormal basis of the 2n{2}^{n}2n-dimensional Hilbert space. Moreover, I prove that these schemes can tolerate up to the theoretical maximum of a 50% BER for $n\ensuremath{\ge}2$ provided the raw key is generated under a certain technical condition, making them extremely-error-tolerant PMQKD schemes involving the transmission of unentangled finite-dimensional qudits. This shows the potential of processing quantum information using lower-dimensional quantum signals encoded in a higher-dimensional quantum state.