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arXiv:1906.05035

Continuous-variables quantum cryptography: asymptotic and finite-size security analysis

Panagiotis Papanastasiou

Published Jun 12, 2019• 0 citations
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Abstract

In this thesis we study the finite-size analysis of two continuous-variables quantum key distribution schemes. The first one is the one-way protocol using Gaussian modulation of thermal states and the other is the measurement-device-independent protocol. To do so, we adopt an efficient channel parameter estimation method based on the assumption of the Gaussian variables and the central limit theorem introduced by Ruppert et al. [Phys. Rev. A 90, 062310 (2014)]. Furthermore, we present a composable security analysis of the measurement device independent protocol for coherent attacks with a channel parameter estimation that is not based on the central limit theorem. We also investigated, in the asymptotic regime, an asymmetric situation for the authenticated parties against the eavesdropper caused by fast-fading channels. Here we assume that the eavesdropper has the full control of the communication channel and can instantaneously change its transmissivity in every use of it. We assumed the simple model of a uniform fading and addressed the cases of one-way protocols, continuous-measurement device-independent protocol in symmetric configuration and its star network extension for three users. Finally, we extended the asymptotic study of the one-way protocols using an arbitrary number of phase-encoded coherent states assuming a thermal loss channel without using a Gaussian approximation.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1906.05035

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In this thesis we study the finite-size analysis of two continuous-variables quantum key distribution schemes. The first one is the one-way protocol using Gaussian modulation of thermal states and the other is the measurement-device-independent protocol. To do so, we adopt an efficient channel parameter estimation method based on the assumption of the Gaussian variables and the central limit theorem introduced by Ruppert et al. [Phys. Rev. A 90, 062310 (2014)]. Furthermore, we present a composable security analysis of the measurement device independent protocol for coherent attacks with a channel parameter estimation that is not based on the central limit theorem. We also investigated, in the asymptotic regime, an asymmetric situation for the authenticated parties against the eavesdropper caused by fast-fading channels. Here we assume that the eavesdropper has the full control of the communication channel and can instantaneously change its transmissivity in every use of it. We assumed the simple model of a uniform fading and addressed the cases of one-way protocols, continuous-measurement device-independent protocol in symmetric configuration and its star network extension for three users. Finally, we extended the asymptotic study of the one-way protocols using an arbitrary number of phase-encoded coherent states assuming a thermal loss channel without using a Gaussian approximation.
We consider continuous-variable quantum key distribution with discrete-alphabet encodings.In particular, we study protocols where information is encoded in the phase of displaced coherent (or thermal) states, even though the results can be directly extended to any protocol based on finite constellations of displaced Gaussian states.In this setting, we study the composable security in the finite-size regime assuming the realistic but restrictive hypothesis of collective Gaussian attacks.Under this assumption, we can efficiently estimate the parameters of the channel via maximum likelihood estimators and bound the corresponding error in the final secret key rate.
We investigate the performance of several continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols in the presence of uniform fading channels. These are lossy channels whose transmissivity changes according to a uniform probability distribution. We assume the worst-case scenario where an eavesdropper induces a fast-fading process, where she chooses the instantaneous transmissivity while the remote parties may only detect the mean statistical effect. We analyze coherent-state protocols in various configurations, including the one-way switching protocol in reverse reconciliation, the measurement-device-independent protocol in the symmetric configuration, and its extension to a three-party network. We show that, regardless of the advantage given to the eavesdropper (control of the fading), these protocols can still achieve high rates under realistic attacks, within reasonable values for the variance of the probability distribution associated with the fading process.
We study the impact of finite-size effects on the key rate of continuous-variable (CV) measurement-device-independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD), considering two-mode Gaussian attacks. Inspired by the parameter estimation technique developed in by Ruppert et al. [Phys. Rev. A 90, 062310 (2014)], we adapt it to study CV-MDI-QKD and, assuming realistic experimental conditions, we analyze the impact of finite-size effects on the key rate. We find that the performance of the protocol approaches the ideal one, increasing the block size, and, most importantly, that blocks between 106{10}^{6}106 and 109{10}^{9}109 data points may provide key rates $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ bit/use over metropolitan distances.
This thesis deals with a detailed study of the unconditional security of Continuous-Variable (CV) Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). We consider general communication architectures based on both point-to-point and end-to-end principle. For the first case we develop an extensive analysis of the unconditional security of both one-way and two-way protocol under several eavesdropping conditions. We describe an effective post-processing strategy, to apply to one-way communications, that allows to neutralise general coherent attacks. This result motivates us to formulate the conjecture that the "de Finettization" of the classical data, typically adopted in the asymptotic limit of many signals exchanged in order to reduce the attacks from a general coherent to a collective one, may not be necessary for Gaussian one-way communication. For what it concerns two-way protocols we show that after the reduction of the general attack using the de Finetti symmetrization, two-mode coherent attacks are the optimal eavesdropping. Our cryptanalysis shows that the parties can exploit a strategy, in combination with the results obtained on the security of one-way protocols against two-mode coherent attacks. In fact we prove explicitly that two-way communication with Gaussian continuous variables is immune to general coherent attacks. This is possible exploiting the random opening and closing of the circuit by Alice (ON/OFF switching), in the limit of many uses of the channel. We then conclude that collective attacks represent, strictly, the best strategy available to Eve. We have then studied the general security of one-way protocol considering not just lossy channel, but extending the cryptanalysis to all physically allowed canonical forms attacks. Finally we extended the study of thermal CV-QKD to two-way communication at different frequencies, in the framework of optimal collective attacks. In the last part of this thesis we focused on CV-QKD considering a modern end-to-end configuration. We then extend CV quantum cryptography to a network configuration. We develop a detailed cryptoanalysis of a communication scheme based on an untrusted relay, assisting the parties during the preparation of the secret key. We find the optimal eavesdropping and prove, both theoretically and experimentally, the feasibility of high-rate CV-QKD over metropolitan distances with of-the-shelves devices.
Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) protocols with entanglement in the middle (EM) enable long maximal transmission distances for quantum communications. For the security analysis of the protocols, it is usually assumed that Eve performs collective Gaussian attacks and there is a lack of finite-size analysis of the protocols. However, in this paper we consider the finite-size regime of the EM-based CVQKD protocols by exposing the protocol to collective attacks and coherent attacks. We differentiate between the collective attacks and the coherent attacks while comparing asymptotic key rate and the key rate in the finite-size scenarios. Moreover, both symmetric and asymmetric configurations are collated in a contrastive analysis. As expected, the derived results in the finite-size scenarios are less useful than those acquired in the asymptotic regime. Nevertheless, we find that CVQKD with entanglement in the middle is capable of providing fully secure secret keys taking the finite-size effects into account with transmission distances of more than 30 km.
We present a rigorous security analysis of continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV MDI QKD) in a finite-size scenario. The security proof is obtained in two steps: by first assessing the security against collective Gaussian attacks, and then extending to the most general class of coherent attacks via the Gaussian de Finetti reduction. Our result combines recent state-of-the-art security proofs for CV QKD with findings about min-entropy calculus and parameter estimation. In doing so, we improve the finite-size estimate of the secret key rate. Our conclusions confirm that CV MDI protocols allow for high rates on the metropolitan scale, and may achieve a nonzero secret key rate against the most general class of coherent attacks after 107{10}^{7}107--109{10}^{9}109 quantum signal transmissions, depending on loss and noise, and on the required level of security.