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arXiv:1909.12050 · Physical Review Applied

Fast and Simple Qubit-Based Synchronization for Quantum Key Distribution

Luca Calderaro, Andrea Stanco, Costantino Agnesi, Marco Avesani, Daniele Dequal, Paolo Villoresi, Giuseppe Vallone

Published May 18, 2020• 87 citations
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Abstract

We propose Qubit4Sync, a synchronization method for quantum-key-distribution (QKD) setups, based on the same qubits exchanged during the protocol and without requiring additional hardware other than that necessary to prepare and measure the quantum states, in a similar fashion to the clock recovery used in classical communications. Our approach introduces a cross-correlation algorithm with low computational complexity for high channel losses. We test the robustness of our scheme in a real QKD implementation, and we believe it may find application in other quantum communication protocols.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.13.054041

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We propose Qubit4Sync, a synchronization method for quantum-key-distribution (QKD) setups, based on the same qubits exchanged during the protocol and without requiring additional hardware other than that necessary to prepare and measure the quantum states, in a similar fashion to the clock recovery used in classical communications. Our approach introduces a cross-correlation algorithm with low computational complexity for high channel losses. We test the robustness of our scheme in a real QKD implementation, and we believe it may find application in other quantum communication protocols.
Clock synchronization serves as a foundational subsystem in quantum key distribution (QKD). The recently proposed Qubit-based synchronization (Qubit4Sync) has opportunities in eliminating additional cost, noise, and potential side channels. It offers a promising alternative to dedicated synchronization hardware. However, the current frequency recovery process in Qubit4Sync requires high data throughput and computational speed, limiting practical use. To overcome these issues, we developed a fast frequency recovery algorithm that increases the recovery rate by orders of magnitude and remains robust under bad signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This enables Qubit4Sync to operate effectively in mainstream gated-mode QKD systems. We further establish a theoretical model for frequency recovery, showing that our algorithm is robust against disturbances like dead time, jitter, and afterpulse. A frequency-domain SNR calculation method is also provided to guide parameter design for specific experimental conditions. This work opens the door to practical Qubit4Sync deployment in general QKD systems.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method that enables two remote parties to share a secure key string. Clock synchronization between two parties is a crucial step in the normal operation of QKD. Qubit-based synchronization can achieve clock synchronization by transmitting quantum states between two remote parties, eliminating the necessity for hardware synchronization and thereby greatly reducing the hardware requirements of a QKD system. Nonetheless, classical qubit-based synchronization exhibits poor performance in continuous and high-loss systems, hindering its wide applicability in various scenarios. Here, we propose a qubit-based distributed frame synchronization method that can achieve time recovery in a continuously running system and resist higher losses. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the advanced qubit-based synchronization method Qubit4Sync in a continuously running system. Particularly, the results demonstrate that our method surpasses all previous works in key parameters, including frequency and the synchronization length. We believe our method is applicable to a broad range of QKD scenarios, including drone-based QKD and quantum network construction.
We introduce iQSync, a clock-offset recovery method designed for implementation on low-level hardware, such as field-programmable gate arrays or microcontrollers, for quantum key distribution (QKD). iQSync requires minimal memory, only a simple instruction set (e.g., no floating-point operations), and can be evaluated with sublinear time complexity, typically involving no more than a few thousand iterations of a simple loop. Furthermore, iQSync allows for a precise clock-offset recovery within a few seconds, even for large offsets, and is well suited for scenarios with high channel loss and low signal-to-noise ratio, irrespective of the prepare-and-measure QKD protocol used. We implemented the method on our QKD platform, demonstrating its performance and conformity with analytically derived success probabilities for channel attenuations exceeding 70 dB .
Quantum key distribution (QKD) systems provide a method for two users to exchange a provably secure key. Synchronizing the users' clocks is an essential step before a secure key can be distilled. Qubit-based synchronization protocols directly use the transmitted quantum states to achieve synchronization and thus avoid the need for additional classical synchronization hardware. Previous qubit-based synchronization protocols sacrifice secure key either directly or indirectly, and all known qubit-based synchronization protocols do not efficiently use all publicly available information published by the users. Here, we introduce a Bayesian probabilistic algorithm that incorporates all published information to efficiently find the clock offset without sacrificing any secure key. Additionally, the output of the algorithm is a probability, which allows us to quantify our confidence in the synchronization. For demonstration purposes, we present a model system with accompanying simulations of an efficient three-state BB84 prepare-and-measure protocol with decoy states. We use our algorithm to exploit the correlations between Alice's published basis and mean photon number choices and Bob's measurement outcomes to probabilistically determine the most likely clock offset. We find that we can achieve a 95 percent synchronization confidence in only 4140 communication bin widths, meaning we can tolerate clock drift approaching 1 part in 4140 in this example when simulating this system with a dark count probability per communication bin width of 8×10-4 and a received mean photon number of 0.01.
Precise synchronization between a transmitter and receiver is crucial for quantum communications protocols such as quantum key distribution (QKD) to efficiently correlate the transmitted and received signals and increase the signal-to-noise ratio. In this work, we introduce a synchronization technique that exploits a co-propagating classical optical communications link and tests its performance in a free-space QKD system. Previously, existing techniques required additional laser beams or relied on the capability to retrieve the synchronization from the quantum signal itself; this approach, however, is not applicable in high channel loss scenarios. On the contrary, our method exploits classical and quantum signals locked to the same master clock, allowing the receiver to synchronize both the classical and quantum communications links by performing a clock-data-recovery routine on the classical signal. In this way, by exploiting the same classical communications already required for post-processing and key generation, no additional hardware is required, and the synchronization can be reconstructed from a high-power signal. Our approach is suitable for both satellite and fiber infrastructures, where a classical and quantum channel can be transmitted through the same link.