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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Improvement of secure communication with continuous variable entanglement of squeezed coherent states via heterodyne detection

Ahmed Becir, Azeddine Messikh, Mohamed Ridza Wahiddin

Published Jun 22, 2010• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a continuous variable quantum key distribution protocol based on entanglement of a squeezed coherent state and reverse reconciliation. We present a rigorous security proof against individual and collective attacks with realistic lossy, noisy quantum channels, imperfect detector efficiency and detector electronic noise. This protocol is promising for convenient, high-speed operation at link distances to over 50 km. The setup can be further improved in terms of key generation rate and distance by inserting a noiseless phase-sensitive amplifier at the legitimate receiver Bob's input in order to compensate for the inherent imperfection of heterodyne detection.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/43/13/135503

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In this paper, we propose a continuous variable quantum key distribution protocol based on entanglement of a squeezed coherent state and reverse reconciliation. We present a rigorous security proof against individual and collective attacks with realistic lossy, noisy quantum channels, imperfect detector efficiency and detector electronic noise. This protocol is promising for convenient, high-speed operation at link distances to over 50 km. The setup can be further improved in terms of key generation rate and distance by inserting a noiseless phase-sensitive amplifier at the legitimate receiver Bob's input in order to compensate for the inherent imperfection of heterodyne detection.
Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) using coherent states and heterodyne detection enables secure quantum communication based on technology that has large similarities to coherent optical telecommunication. Yet, practical implementations of coherent receivers used in both technologies encounter device imperfections, which for CV-QKD are often not addressed in security proofs. Here, we present a theoretical framework that rigorously accounts for imperfect heterodyne measurements arising from phase and amplitude imbalances in the coherent (heterodyne) receiver. Focusing on collective attacks, we establish a finite-size security proof that reveals how measurement imperfections limit the distance over which a positive key rate is achievable. To mitigate these effects, we propose a local transformation during classical post-processing. We validate our approach experimentally on a CV-QKD system with an imperfect coherent receiver, underscoring its potential for scalable, cost-effective CV-QKD with photonic integrated receivers in which phase and amplitude imbalances naturally appear through manufacturing tolerances.
We consider the security of continuous-variable quantum key distribution using thermal (or noisy) Gaussian resource states. Specifically, we analyze this against collective Gaussian attacks using direct and reverse reconciliation where both protocols use either homodyne or heterodyne detection. We show that in the case of direct reconciliation with heterodyne detection, an improved robustness to channel noise is achieved when large amounts of preparation noise is added, as compared to the case when no preparation noise is added. We also consider the theoretical limit of infinite preparation noise and show a secure key can still be achieved in this limit provided the channel noise is less than the preparation noise. Finally, we consider the security of quantum key distribution at various electromagnetic wavelengths and derive an upper bound related to an entanglement-breaking eavesdropping attack and discuss the feasibility of microwave quantum key distribution.
In a practical quantum communication system, the security of signal source of continuous-variable quantum key distribution may be jeopardized due to device flaws and hidden attacks. In this paper, an improved scheme for Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution based on an untrusted entangled source is proposed. In particular, the entanglement source is placed in an untrusted quantum channel to simulate that it is controlled by an eavesdropper, thereby verifying the security of Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution in a complex environment. This work in detail analyzes the influence of untrusted entanglement source on practical Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution system, and the numerical simulation shows that the performance of Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution will dramatically decrease once the entanglement source has moved out of the sender, and it will slightly rise as the untrusted entanglement source slowly moves away from the sender. This paper further introduces two kinds of optical amplifiers, which are phase-sensitive amplifier and phase-insensitive amplifier, to compensate for the imperfection of the coherent detector. These amplifiers are beneficial to enhancing the quantum efficiency of the receiver’s detector. Specifically, the security key rate of Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution with homodyne detection can be well improved by phase-sensitive amplifier, and the security key rate of Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution with heterodyne detection can be well improved by phase-insensitive amplifier. To summary, this paper proposes a scheme for Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution with untrusted entanglement source, experimental results show that the proposed scheme can generate secure quantum keys even if the Gaussian entanglement source is untrusted, and the two optical amplifiers can effectively improve the quantum efficiency of the detector at the receiver. This work aims to promote the practical process of the Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution system and provide theoretical guidance for the practical implementation and application of the Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution system.
In this paper, we present three continuous variable quantum key distribution protocols (named two-, four-, and eight-state protocols) based on the discrete modulation of phase coherent states. We investigate the security of these protocols against the collective eavesdropping attacks and show their performance in a realistic setup by taking into consideration the realistic lossy noisy quantum channels, and the imperfection of detection. We show that the use of phase coherent states gives better performance in terms of noise tolerance, key rate, and achievable distance than that of common linear coherent states.