InTech eBooks
Quantum Direct Communication
Gui Lu, Chuan Xi Wang, Fu‐Guo Deng, Wanying Wang
Abstract
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is considered as an ideal method to make secret message unreadable to eaves-dropper but intelligible to the two authorized parties of the communication [1][2][3][4][5][6].In the research of experimental quantum key distribution, single photons and entangled photon pairs are used as the carriers.In quantum key distribution, secret keys are generated first between the communication parties.The security of quantum key distribution is guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics.After the quantum key distribution is completed, the communication parties should share secret keys, then the sender encrypts the secret message using the secret keys to form the ciphertext and transmits the ciphertext through a classical channel.The receiver receives the ciphertext and then decrypt the ciphertext to get the secret message.Altogether there are four steps in a secret communication process with QKD: key generation, encryption, transmission and decryption.Here in this review, we review some new development in quantum communication, quantum direct communication (QDC).Quantum direct communication is a form of quantum communication where secret messages can be transmitted through a quantum channel with or without additional classical communications.There are two forms of quantum direct communication, quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) [7{9] and deterministic secure quantum communication (DSQC) [10,11].In QSDC, secret messages are transmitted directly between the communication parties, from sender Alice to receiver Bob, without additional classical communication except those for the necessary eavesdropping check.In other words, the quantum key distribution process and the classical communication of ciphertext are condensed into one single quantum communication procedure in QSDC.Deterministic secure quantum communication is another type of quantum direct communication, such as those proposed in Ref. [10,11], where classical communication is required in order to read out the secret message.As mentioned earlier, to complete a secure communication with the help of QKD, one usually encodes the secret message with an encryption scheme, and the ciphered text is transmitted through a classical channel.With a quantum channel, this procedure can be varied.
- DOI
- 10.5772/8644