Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2410.01152 · Physical Review A

Phase-coding quantum-key-distribution system based on Sagnac–Mach-Zehnder interferometers

Xiaotian Song, Dong Wang, Xiao-Ming Lu, Da-Jun Huang, Di Jiang, Lixian Li, Xi Fang, Yibo Zhao, Liangjiang Zhou

Published Mar 13, 2020• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Stability and robustness are important criteria to evaluate the performance of a quantum-key-distribution (QKD) system in real-life applications. However, the inherent birefringence effect of the fiber channel and disturbance caused by the variation of the deployment environment of the QKD system tremendously decrease its performance. To eliminate this adverse impact, we propose a polarization-insensitive phase-coding QKD system based on Sagnac--Mach-Zehnder interferometers. Verified by theoretical analysis and experimental tests, this QKD system is robust against channel polarization disturbance. The robustness and long-term stability of the QKD system is confirmed with a 10-day continuous operation over a 12.6-dB channel, which consists of a 50-km fiber spool and a polarization scrambler (2 rad/s). As a result, an average quantum bit error rate of $0.958%$ and a sustained secure key rate of 3.68 kbps are obtained. Moreover, the secure key rate of the QKD system for a typical channel loss of 10 dB reaches 6.89 kbps, and the achievable maximum transmission distance exceeds 125 km.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.101.032319

Related papers

Time-bin phase-encoding quantum key distribution using Sagnac-based optics and compatible electronics

yan-lin tang, Chun Zhou, Dongdong Li +18 more

In this work, we present a new time-bin phase-encoding quantum key distribution (QKD), where the transmitter utilizes an inherently stable Sagnac-type interferometer, and has comparable electrical requirements to existing polarization or phase encoding schemes. This approach does not require intensity calibration and is insensitive to environmental disturbances, making it both flexible and high-performing. We conducted experiments with a compact QKD system to demonstrate the stability and secure key rate performance of the presented scheme. The results show a typical secure key rate of 6.2 kbps@20 dB and 0.4 kbps@30 dB with channel loss emulated by variable optical attenuators. A continuous test of 120-km fiber spool shows a stable quantum bit error rate of the time-bin basis within 0.4%∼0.6% over a consecutive 9-day period without any adjustment. This intrinsically stable and compatible scheme of time-bin phase encoding is extensively applicable in various QKD experiments, including BB84 and measurement-device-independent QKD.

Optics Express•Jul 5, 2023•24 citations

Practical gigahertz quantum key distribution robust against channel disturbance

Shuang Wang, Wei Chen, Zhen−Qiang Yin +12 more

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an attractive solution for secure communication. However, channel disturbance severely limits its application when a QKD system is transferred from the laboratory to the field. Here a high-speed Faraday-Sagnac-Michelson QKD system is proposed that can automatically compensate for the channel polarization disturbance, which largely avoids the intermittency limitations of environment mutation. Over a 50 km fiber channel with 30 Hz polarization scrambling, the practicality of this phase-coding QKD system was characterized with an interference fringe visibility of 99.35% over 24 h and a stable secure key rate of 306 k bits/s over seven days without active polarization alignment.

arXiv:1805.09952•Optics Letters•Apr 19, 2018•96 citations

Alternative Anti-Quantum-Channel Disturbance Decoder for Quantum Key Distribution

Huaxing Xu, Shaohua Wang, Yang Huang +2 more

In the letter, we propose an anti-quantum-channel disturbance decoder for quantum key distribution (QKD). The decoder is based on a quarter-wave plate reflector-Michelson (Q-M) interferometer, with which the QKD system can be free of polarization disturbance caused by quantum channel and optical devices in the system. The theoretical analysis indicates that the Q-M interferometer is immune to polarization-induced signal fading and its corresponding operator is Pauli Matrix σ2, which naturally satisfies the anti-disturbance condition. A Q-M interferometer based time-bin phase encoding QKD setup is demonstrated and the experimental results show that the QKD setup works stably with a low quantum bit error rate and an average safe key rate about 7.34 kbps over 50.4 km standard optical fiber for two hours in the lab.

arXiv:1904.03448•Apr 6, 2019•1 citation

Interference at the single-photon level based on silica photonics robust against channel disturbance

Xiao Li, Meizhen Ren, Jiashun Zhang +6 more

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a solution for communication of unconditional security. However, the quantum channel disturbance in the field severely increases the quantum bit-error rate, degrading the performance of a QKD system. Here we present a setup comprising silica planar light wave circuits (PLCs), which is robust against the channel polarization disturbance. Our PLCs are based on the asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer (AMZI), integrated with a tunable power splitter and thermo-optic phase modulators. The polarization characteristics of the AMZI PLC are investigated by a novel pulse self-interfering method to determine the operation temperature of implementing polarization insensitivity. Over a 20 km fiber channel with 30 Hz polarization scrambling, our time-bin phase-encoding QKD setup is characterized with an interference fringe visibility of 98.72%. The extinction ratio for the phase states is kept between 18 and 21 dB for 6 h without active phase correction.

Photonics Research•Dec 21, 2020•22 citations

Sagnac quantum key distribution and secret sharing

Jan Bogdanski, Johan Ahrens, Mohamed Bourennane

We present the first Sagnac quantum secret sharing (in three- and four-party implementations) as well as Sagnac two-user quantum key distribution (QKD) over 1550 nm single mode fiber (SMF) networks, using the BB84- protocol with phase encoding. The secret sharing experiment has implemented a single qubit protocol, which allows for a practical secret sharing implementation over fiber telecom channels and in free-space. The previous quantum secret sharing proposals were based on multiparticle entangled states, not scalable and diffcult in the experimental implementations. Our experimental data show stable, in regards to birefringence drift, quantum secret sharing transmissions at the total Sagnac transmission loop distances of 45-55 km with the quantum bit error rates (QBER) of 3.0-3.7 % for the mean photon number μ = 0.1. In the QKD experiment we have achieved the total Sagnac transmission loop distances of 100-150 km with quantum bit error rates (QBER) of 5.84-9.79 % for μ = 0.1. The distances were much longer and rates much higher than in any other published Sagnac QKD experiments. The stability of quantum transmission in both secret sharing and QKD experiments has been achieved thanks to our new concept for compensation of SMF birefringence effects in Sagnac, based on a polarization control system and a polarization insensitive phase modulator. The measurement results have showed feasibility of quantum secret sharing and QKD over telecom fiber networks in Sagnac confi;guration, using standard fiber telecom components. Our birefringence compensation in SMF Sagnac open the door to other Sagnac-based applications over SMF links such as precise optical sensing, dispersion characteristics of optical fibers, acoustic and strain sensing, and generally sensing of any time varying phenomenon.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Dec 2, 2008•3 citations

10-Mb/s Quantum Key Distribution

Zhiliang Yuan, Akira Murakami, Mamko Kujiraoka +12 more

We report the first quantum-key-distribution (QKD) systems capable of delivering sustainable, real-time secure keys continuously at rates exceeding 10 Mb/s. To achieve such rates, we developed high-speed postprocessing modules, achieving maximum data throughputs of 60 MC/s, 55 Mb/s, and 108 Mb/s for standalone operation of sifting, error correction, and privacy amplification modules, respectively. The photonic layer of the QKD systems features high-speed single-photon detectors based on self-differencing InGaAs avalanche photodiodes, phase encoding using an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and active stabilization of the interferometer phase and photon polarization. An efficient variant of the decoy-state BB84 protocol is implemented for the security analysis, with a large dataset size of 108bits selected to mitigate finite-size effects. Over a 2-dB channel, a record secure key rate of 13.72 Mb/s has been achieved averaged over 4.4 days of operation. We confirm the robustness and long-term stability on a second QKD system continuously running for 1 month without any user invention.

arXiv:1807.04484•Journal of Lightwave Technology•Jun 1, 2018•244 citations
Stability and robustness are important criteria to evaluate the performance of a quantum-key-distribution (QKD) system in real-life applications. However, the inherent birefringence effect of the fiber channel and disturbance caused by the variation of the deployment environment of the QKD system tremendously decrease its performance. To eliminate this adverse impact, we propose a polarization-insensitive phase-coding QKD system based on Sagnac--Mach-Zehnder interferometers. Verified by theoretical analysis and experimental tests, this QKD system is robust against channel polarization disturbance. The robustness and long-term stability of the QKD system is confirmed with a 10-day continuous operation over a 12.6-dB channel, which consists of a 50-km fiber spool and a polarization scrambler (2 rad/s). As a result, an average quantum bit error rate of 0.9580.958%0.958 and a sustained secure key rate of 3.68 kbps are obtained. Moreover, the secure key rate of the QKD system for a typical channel loss of 10 dB reaches 6.89 kbps, and the achievable maximum transmission distance exceeds 125 km.
In this work, we present a new time-bin phase-encoding quantum key distribution (QKD), where the transmitter utilizes an inherently stable Sagnac-type interferometer, and has comparable electrical requirements to existing polarization or phase encoding schemes. This approach does not require intensity calibration and is insensitive to environmental disturbances, making it both flexible and high-performing. We conducted experiments with a compact QKD system to demonstrate the stability and secure key rate performance of the presented scheme. The results show a typical secure key rate of 6.2 kbps@20 dB and 0.4 kbps@30 dB with channel loss emulated by variable optical attenuators. A continuous test of 120-km fiber spool shows a stable quantum bit error rate of the time-bin basis within 0.4%∼0.6% over a consecutive 9-day period without any adjustment. This intrinsically stable and compatible scheme of time-bin phase encoding is extensively applicable in various QKD experiments, including BB84 and measurement-device-independent QKD.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an attractive solution for secure communication. However, channel disturbance severely limits its application when a QKD system is transferred from the laboratory to the field. Here a high-speed Faraday-Sagnac-Michelson QKD system is proposed that can automatically compensate for the channel polarization disturbance, which largely avoids the intermittency limitations of environment mutation. Over a 50 km fiber channel with 30 Hz polarization scrambling, the practicality of this phase-coding QKD system was characterized with an interference fringe visibility of 99.35% over 24 h and a stable secure key rate of 306 k bits/s over seven days without active polarization alignment.
In the letter, we propose an anti-quantum-channel disturbance decoder for quantum key distribution (QKD). The decoder is based on a quarter-wave plate reflector-Michelson (Q-M) interferometer, with which the QKD system can be free of polarization disturbance caused by quantum channel and optical devices in the system. The theoretical analysis indicates that the Q-M interferometer is immune to polarization-induced signal fading and its corresponding operator is Pauli Matrix σ2, which naturally satisfies the anti-disturbance condition. A Q-M interferometer based time-bin phase encoding QKD setup is demonstrated and the experimental results show that the QKD setup works stably with a low quantum bit error rate and an average safe key rate about 7.34 kbps over 50.4 km standard optical fiber for two hours in the lab.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a solution for communication of unconditional security. However, the quantum channel disturbance in the field severely increases the quantum bit-error rate, degrading the performance of a QKD system. Here we present a setup comprising silica planar light wave circuits (PLCs), which is robust against the channel polarization disturbance. Our PLCs are based on the asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer (AMZI), integrated with a tunable power splitter and thermo-optic phase modulators. The polarization characteristics of the AMZI PLC are investigated by a novel pulse self-interfering method to determine the operation temperature of implementing polarization insensitivity. Over a 20 km fiber channel with 30 Hz polarization scrambling, our time-bin phase-encoding QKD setup is characterized with an interference fringe visibility of 98.72%. The extinction ratio for the phase states is kept between 18 and 21 dB for 6 h without active phase correction.
We present the first Sagnac quantum secret sharing (in three- and four-party implementations) as well as Sagnac two-user quantum key distribution (QKD) over 1550 nm single mode fiber (SMF) networks, using the BB84- protocol with phase encoding. The secret sharing experiment has implemented a single qubit protocol, which allows for a practical secret sharing implementation over fiber telecom channels and in free-space. The previous quantum secret sharing proposals were based on multiparticle entangled states, not scalable and diffcult in the experimental implementations. Our experimental data show stable, in regards to birefringence drift, quantum secret sharing transmissions at the total Sagnac transmission loop distances of 45-55 km with the quantum bit error rates (QBER) of 3.0-3.7 % for the mean photon number μ = 0.1. In the QKD experiment we have achieved the total Sagnac transmission loop distances of 100-150 km with quantum bit error rates (QBER) of 5.84-9.79 % for μ = 0.1. The distances were much longer and rates much higher than in any other published Sagnac QKD experiments. The stability of quantum transmission in both secret sharing and QKD experiments has been achieved thanks to our new concept for compensation of SMF birefringence effects in Sagnac, based on a polarization control system and a polarization insensitive phase modulator. The measurement results have showed feasibility of quantum secret sharing and QKD over telecom fiber networks in Sagnac confi;guration, using standard fiber telecom components. Our birefringence compensation in SMF Sagnac open the door to other Sagnac-based applications over SMF links such as precise optical sensing, dispersion characteristics of optical fibers, acoustic and strain sensing, and generally sensing of any time varying phenomenon.
We report the first quantum-key-distribution (QKD) systems capable of delivering sustainable, real-time secure keys continuously at rates exceeding 10 Mb/s. To achieve such rates, we developed high-speed postprocessing modules, achieving maximum data throughputs of 60 MC/s, 55 Mb/s, and 108 Mb/s for standalone operation of sifting, error correction, and privacy amplification modules, respectively. The photonic layer of the QKD systems features high-speed single-photon detectors based on self-differencing InGaAs avalanche photodiodes, phase encoding using an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and active stabilization of the interferometer phase and photon polarization. An efficient variant of the decoy-state BB84 protocol is implemented for the security analysis, with a large dataset size of 108bits selected to mitigate finite-size effects. Over a 2-dB channel, a record secure key rate of 13.72 Mb/s has been achieved averaged over 4.4 days of operation. We confirm the robustness and long-term stability on a second QKD system continuously running for 1 month without any user invention.