Incorporating single photon links used for quantum communication applications like quantum key distribution is a challenging task. Direct contamination from the strong classical signal and induced Raman scattering easily obscures the weak quantum signal. Generating entangled photons in the O-band might allow the coexistence of classical and quantum signals. We present results demonstrating the feasibility of transmitting entangled photons and strong classical communication signals over the same fiber.
Incorporating single photon links used for quantum communication applications like quantum key distribution is a challenging task. Direct contamination from the strong classical signal and induced Raman scattering easily obscures the weak quantum signal. Generating entangled photons in the O-band might allow the coexistence of classical and quantum signals. We present results demonstrating the feasibility of transmitting entangled photons and strong classical communication signals over the same fiber.
Quantum communications is an emerging field with many promising applications. Its usefulness and range of applicability in optical fiber will depend strongly on the extent to which quantum channels can be reliably transported over transparent reconfigurable optical networks, rather than being limited to dedicated point-to-point links. This presents a number of challenges, particularly when single-photon quantum and much higher power classical optical signals are combined onto a single physical infrastructure to take advantage of telecom networks built to carry conventional traffic. In this paper, we report on experimental demonstrations of successful quantum key distribution (QKD) in this complex environment, and on measurements of physical-layer impairments, including Raman scattering from classical optical channels, which can limit QKD performance. We then extend the analysis using analytical models incorporating impairments, to investigate QKD performance while multiplexed with conventional data channels at other wavelengths. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results for evaluating the most promising domains of use for QKD in real-world optical networks.
The coexistence of quantum and classical light in the same fiber link is extremely desired in developing quantum communication. It has been implemented for different quantum information tasks, such as classical light coexisting with polarization-entangled photons at telecom O-band, and with quantum signal based quantum key distribution (QKD). In this work, we demonstrate the coexistence of energy-time entanglement based QKD and fiber optical communication at the telecom C-band. The property of noise from the classical channel is characterized with classical light at different wavelengths. With the largest noise, i.e., the worst case, the properties of energy-time entanglement are measured at different fiber optical communication rates. By measuring the two-photon interference of energy-time entanglement, our results show that a visibility of 82.01$\pm$1.10\% is achieved with a bidirectional 20 Gbps fiber optical communication over 40 km. Furthermore, by performing the BBM92 protocol for QKD, a secret key rate of 245 bits per second could be generated with a quantum bit error rate of 8.88\% with the coexisted energy-time entanglement.~Our demonstration paves the way for developing the infrastructure for quantum networks compatible with fiber optical communication.
This paper presents a quantum key distribution (QKD) system that combines classical and quantum signals in a single optical channel for quantum key distribution application. We carefully optimize the communication link by placing the bright classical channel wavelength longer than the weak quantum one, number and specification of wavelength division multiplexers, and maximizing on-off extinction in the intensity modulator to minimize crosstalk of bright classical photons onto the quantum channel. Our experiments demonstrate a secret key rate (SKR) of 4.39 kbps for an emulated channel length of 65.5 km with less than 3% quantum bit error rate (QBER). The experimental study discussed here is relevant for utilization of existing optical fiber networks for QKD, making the system more robust for practical usage.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) exploits the unique properties of quantum physics. It has evolved tremendously in recent years, attracting considerable attention as a privileged solution capable of enabling future-proof secure communication systems. This contrasts with classical cryptographic systems, whose security is based on computational security. However, before quantum cryptographic systems, e.g. QKD, could be widely implemented, in a coexistence scenario with classical signals, and made widely available to applications and users, they face several crucial challenges related to their real-world implementation. This paper presents our recent investigations to evaluate the coexistence between classical and quantum signals in hybrid fiber (multi-core fiber) and free-space optical links for an optimized integration of QKD systems in the installed fiber communication networks. We present results in terms of spontaneous Raman scattering, inter-core cross-talk and turbulence-induced optical power fluctuations.
Abstract Integration of quantum key distribution (QKD) into existing optical transport network is one of the important problems that should be solved to expand the applicability of QKD systems and to develop quantum networks. When multiplexing a quantum channel with classical ones, researchers and engineers are faced with a high background count rate caused by spontaneous Raman scattering. This paper presents the results of Raman noise measurement in the O-band at different distances and launched power of the C-Band channels. Based on this data, the 1310 nm QKD system capable to integrate into DWDM optical network was developed. Its performance has been experimentally confirmed in testing on coexistence with intense C-band signals. The experiments were carried out on the propagation of classical and quantum signals in the same fiber as well as in the opposite directions. As a result, the stable QKD over a distance up to 60 km with a total launched power of classical channels up to 20 mW has been demonstrated.
A successful commercial deployment of quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies requires integrating QKD links into existing fibers and sharing the same fiber networks with classical data traffic. To mitigate the spontaneous Raman scattering (SpRS) noise from classical data channels, several quantum/classical coexistence strategies have been developed. O-band solutions place the QKD channel in the O-band for lower SpRS noise but with the penalty of higher fiber loss and can rarely reach beyond 80 km of fiber; another method is C-band coexistence with attenuated classical channels, which sacrifices the performance of classical channels for lower SpRS noise. In this work, a time-interleaving technique is demonstrated to enable the co- propagation of quantum and classical channels in the C-band without sacrificing either performance. By embedding QKD pulses in the gaps between classical data frames, the quantum channel is isolated from SpRS noise in both wavelength and time domains. C-band co- propagation of a polarization-encoding decoy-state BB84 QKD channel with a 100 Gb/s QPSK channel is experimentally demonstrated with quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 1.12%, 2.04%, and 3.81% and secure key rates (SKR) of 39.5 kb/s, 6.35 kb/s, and 128 b/s over 20, 50, and 100 km fibers, respectively. These results were achieved with the presence of classical launch power up to 10 dBm, which is at least one order of magnitude higher than reported works. We also demonstrated the co- propagation of a QKD channel with eight classical channels with total launch power up to 18-dBm (9-dBm per channel), which is the highest power of classical channels reported in C-band coexistence works.