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

Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Experimental Demonstration of Quantum Cryptography Using Polarized Photons in Optical Fibre over More than 1 km

A Muller, Jacques Breguet, Nicolas Gisin

Published Aug 20, 1993• 215 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A quantum cryptography set-up is described. It uses polarized photons to code the key. The photons remain guided from the semiconductor laser diode until the photon counter module. The feasibility of establishing a key over more than 1 km by this method has been experimentally demonstrated.
DOI
10.1209/0295-5075/23/6/001

Related papers

Quantum Cryptography with Polarized Photons in Optical Fibres

Jacques Breguet, A. Muller, Nicolas Gisin

An all-fibre quantum cryptography set-up based on the polarization of single photon pulses is described. The feasibility of establishing a key over more than 1 km has been experimentally demonstrated. The limits due to the topological effects, the birefringence, and the polarization mode dispersion of fibres are discussed. A set-up using only two non-orthogonal polarization states and polarizers instead of analysers is proposed.

Journal of Modern Optics•Dec 1, 1994•55 citations

Experimental System for Quantum Cryptography Based on Two Nonorthogonal Photon Polarization States

Yong Zhang, Le Deng, Min Mao +1 more

Quantum cryptography allows the establishing of a highly confidential sequence of random bits between two parties who share no secret information in advance. Its security is guaranteed by the basic laws of quantum mechanics rather than mathematical difficulty. An experimental system based on a novel protocol for quantum cryptography using only two nonorthogonal photon polarization states is implemented. The photon sources are two semiconductor laser diodes operated at 680 nm, their light pulses which are heavily attenuated to far below one photon per pulse are employed to encode the key. Gated single photon detection technique is used to minimize the dark count effect of the photon multiplier tube. Key establishing rate of 40 b/s and error rate of 2.1% are obtained. Compared with other systems, our system has the simplest experimental setup.

Chinese Physics Letters•Apr 1, 1998•13 citations

Quantum cryptography over 23 km in installed under-lake telecom fibre

A Muller, Hugo Zbinden, Nicolas Gisin

A quantum cryptographic channel using a 23 km long installed standard telecom optical cable is reported. The key is encoded in the polarization of very weak laser pulses of average photon number 0.12. The measured error rate is lower than 3.4%. The ability of the system to establish a quantum key at standard telecom wavelength (1300 nm) using installed cables is thus assessed.

Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Feb 10, 1996•167 citations

Quantum key distribution over a 48 km optical fibre network

Richard Hughes, George L. Morgan, Charles G. Peterson

The secure distribution of the secret random bit sequences known as ‘key’ material, is an essential precursor to their use for the encryption and decryption of confidential communications. Quantum cryptography is a new technique for secure key distribution with single-photon transmissions: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle ensures that an adversary can neither successfully tap the key transmissions, nor evade detection (eavesdropping raises the key error rate above a threshold value). We have developed experimental quantum cryptography systems based on the transmission of non-orthogonal photon states to generate shared key material over multikilometre optical fibre paths and over line-of-sight links. In both cases, key material is built up using the transmission of a single-photon per bit of an initial secret random sequence. A quantum-mechanically random subset of this sequence is identified, becoming the key material after a data reconciliation stage with the sender. Here we report the most recent results of our optical fibre experiment in which we have performed quantum key distribution over a 48 km optical fibre network at Los Alamos using photon interference states with the B92 and BB84 quantum key distribution protocols.

arXiv:quant-ph/9904038•Journal of Modern Optics•Feb 1, 2000•188 citations

Quantum key generation based on coding of polarization states of photons

V. L. Kurochkin, I. I. Ryabtsev, И. Г. Неизвестный

This paper reports on the results of experimental investigations into the distribution of a quantum key on a setup designed for quantum cryptography with single photons. The quantum key is transmitted with pulsed semiconductor lasers by coding polarization states of photons in two alternative nonorthogonal bases. Silicon avalanche photodiodes (C30902S) serve as single-photon detectors. The rate of key generation is equal to 1.8 kbit/s when the clock frequency of laser pulse repetition is 100 kHz and the mean number of photons per pulse is approximately equal to 0.2. The number of errors in the key does not exceed 1%.

Optics and Spectroscopy•Jun 8, 2004•11 citations

Secure key distribution system based on quantumcryptography

Paul D. Townsend

The secure transmission of cryptographic keys is demonstrated over a 10 km-long optical fibre channel using a technique called ‘quantum cryptography’. Single-photon detector noise and nonideal modulator frequency response lead to error rates of ~6% in the transmitted keys that are corrected using publicly agreed key permutations and parity checks.

Electronics Letters•May 12, 1994•117 citations
Quantum cryptography allows the establishing of a highly confidential sequence of random bits between two parties who share no secret information in advance. Its security is guaranteed by the basic laws of quantum mechanics rather than mathematical difficulty. An experimental system based on a novel protocol for quantum cryptography using only two nonorthogonal photon polarization states is implemented. The photon sources are two semiconductor laser diodes operated at 680 nm, their light pulses which are heavily attenuated to far below one photon per pulse are employed to encode the key. Gated single photon detection technique is used to minimize the dark count effect of the photon multiplier tube. Key establishing rate of 40 b/s and error rate of 2.1% are obtained. Compared with other systems, our system has the simplest experimental setup.
The secure distribution of the secret random bit sequences known as ‘key’ material, is an essential precursor to their use for the encryption and decryption of confidential communications. Quantum cryptography is a new technique for secure key distribution with single-photon transmissions: Heisenberg's uncertainty principle ensures that an adversary can neither successfully tap the key transmissions, nor evade detection (eavesdropping raises the key error rate above a threshold value). We have developed experimental quantum cryptography systems based on the transmission of non-orthogonal photon states to generate shared key material over multikilometre optical fibre paths and over line-of-sight links. In both cases, key material is built up using the transmission of a single-photon per bit of an initial secret random sequence. A quantum-mechanically random subset of this sequence is identified, becoming the key material after a data reconciliation stage with the sender. Here we report the most recent results of our optical fibre experiment in which we have performed quantum key distribution over a 48 km optical fibre network at Los Alamos using photon interference states with the B92 and BB84 quantum key distribution protocols.
This paper reports on the results of experimental investigations into the distribution of a quantum key on a setup designed for quantum cryptography with single photons. The quantum key is transmitted with pulsed semiconductor lasers by coding polarization states of photons in two alternative nonorthogonal bases. Silicon avalanche photodiodes (C30902S) serve as single-photon detectors. The rate of key generation is equal to 1.8 kbit/s when the clock frequency of laser pulse repetition is 100 kHz and the mean number of photons per pulse is approximately equal to 0.2. The number of errors in the key does not exceed 1%.