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

Laser & Optoelectronics Progress

Plug and Play Systems for Quantum Cryptography

Songhao Liu

Published Jan 1, 2004• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

To compensate for all polarization fluctuations in the transmitting fiber by using Faraday mirror is discussed, and and- system based on Faraday mirror for quantum cryptography is introduced, phase-encoding analysis in brief for plug- and- play system is implemented. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self-compensating. The use of Faraday mirrors compensates for automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber.

Related papers

“Plug and play” systems for quantum cryptography

A. Muller, T. Herzog, B. Huttner +3 more

We present a time-multiplexed interferometer based on Faraday mirrors, and apply it to quantum key distribution. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self balancing. The use of Faraday mirrors compensates automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber. First experimental results show a fringe visibility of 0.9984 for a 23-km-long interferometer, based on installed telecom fibers.

arXiv:quant-ph/9611042•Applied Physics Letters•Feb 17, 1997•359 citations

"Plug and play" systems for quantum cryptography

A. Muller, T. Herzog, B. Huttner +3 more

We present a time-multiplexed interferometer based on Faraday mirrors, and apply it to quantum key distribution. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self balancing. Use of Faraday mirrors compensates automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber. First experimental results show a fringe visibility of 0.9984 for a 23km-long interferometer, based on installed telecom fibers. In so-called private-key cryptographic systems, secure transmission through unprotected channels rely on the exchange of secret keys, known only to the sender, Alice, and the receiver, Bob. Quantum cryptography (QC) relies on the properties of quantum mechanics to obtain a provably secure key distribution [1, 2, 3, 4]. Most exisiting implementations rely on either the polarization [2, 5, 6] or the phase [7, 8, 9, 10] of very weak pulses of light as information carrier. To date, the longest transmission spans were obtained in optical fibers, at a wavelength of 1300 nm [6, 9, 10]. The main difficulty with polarization-based systems is the need to keep stable polarizations over distances of tens of kilometers, in standard telecom cables. Indeed, due to the birefringence of the fibers and the effect of the environment, the output polarization fluctuates randomly. Recent experiments [6]

•Nov 25, 1996•292 citations

“Plug and play” quantum key distribution system with differential phase shift

Chunyuan Zhou, Guang Wu, Xiuliang Chen +1 more

We propose a “plug and play” scheme for the long-distance fiber-based cryptosystem based on the differential phase shift quantum key distribution, where any birefringence effects and polarization-dependent losses in the transmission fiber are automatically compensated by using a Faraday mirror. This system not only has stable performance but also creates keys 8/3 times more efficiently than the conventional cryptosystem based on the BB84 protocol.

Applied Physics Letters•Aug 29, 2003•18 citations

Plug and Play quantum key distribution system using differential phase shift

Xiuliang Chen, Chunyuan Zhou, Guang Wu +2 more

This report proposes a “Plug and Play” quantum key distribution system using differential phase shift, in which any birefringence effects and polarization-dependent losses in the telecom fiber are automatically compensated by using a Faraday mirror. In this system, a light pulse is split into three pulses after traveling through four couplers and a light intensity feedback servosystem is plugged into this system in order to adjust the phase shifter to compensate the variation of these three pulses. The efficiency of key creation in this system is 8/3 higher than the conventional cryptosystem based on the BB84 protocol.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 7, 2004•0 citations

Long-distance stable “plug and play” quantum cryptography system

Chunyuan Zhou, Guang Wu, Xiuliang Chen +2 more

We have recently constructed a fiber-optic “plug and play” quantum cryptography system as shown in Fig.1, wherein a Faraday-Mirror was used to compensate the polarization mode dispersion and phase drifts. It worked at 1550 nm and was based on the B92 protocol[1]. We have achieved stable quantum key distribution in a standard telecom fiber with different working-distances of 10, 25 and 50 km, respectively, by using some specifically developed techniques to guarantee long-term stability of our system, such as polarization-independent phase-modulation for stable phase encoding and decoding, hybrid coincidence for efficient detection of single photons with coincidence-gated quenching of the single-photon detectors followed by coincident counting of the avalanche signals, and synchronized detection of single-photon pulses by coincidence counting gated with proper delay and width. These unique techniques greatly enhanced the fringe visibility of single-photon interference. And we have also demonstrated the application of our system in cryptographic communication by sending coded pictures from Alice to Bob using the sifted quantum keys.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations

Simple quantum key distribution scheme with excellent long-term stability

Haiqiang Ma, Kejin Wei, Yang Jian-Hui

A simple plug-and-play quantum key distribution scheme based on the Sagnac interferometer and Faraday mirrors is described. There are relatively few components, and fiber birefringence effects are automatically compensated for, allowing extremely stable operation. Visibility better than 95% over 50 km of fiber at 1.31 μm is obtained, maintainable under ordinary lab conditions for several hours without the need of any feedback control or adjustments.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Aug 28, 2013•6 citations
To compensate for all polarization fluctuations in the transmitting fiber by using Faraday mirror is discussed, and and- system based on Faraday mirror for quantum cryptography is introduced, phase-encoding analysis in brief for plug- and- play system is implemented. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self-compensating. The use of Faraday mirrors compensates for automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber.
We present a time-multiplexed interferometer based on Faraday mirrors, and apply it to quantum key distribution. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self balancing. Use of Faraday mirrors compensates automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber. First experimental results show a fringe visibility of 0.9984 for a 23km-long interferometer, based on installed telecom fibers. In so-called private-key cryptographic systems, secure transmission through unprotected channels rely on the exchange of secret keys, known only to the sender, Alice, and the receiver, Bob. Quantum cryptography (QC) relies on the properties of quantum mechanics to obtain a provably secure key distribution [1, 2, 3, 4]. Most exisiting implementations rely on either the polarization [2, 5, 6] or the phase [7, 8, 9, 10] of very weak pulses of light as information carrier. To date, the longest transmission spans were obtained in optical fibers, at a wavelength of 1300 nm [6, 9, 10]. The main difficulty with polarization-based systems is the need to keep stable polarizations over distances of tens of kilometers, in standard telecom cables. Indeed, due to the birefringence of the fibers and the effect of the environment, the output polarization fluctuates randomly. Recent experiments [6]
This report proposes a “Plug and Play” quantum key distribution system using differential phase shift, in which any birefringence effects and polarization-dependent losses in the telecom fiber are automatically compensated by using a Faraday mirror. In this system, a light pulse is split into three pulses after traveling through four couplers and a light intensity feedback servosystem is plugged into this system in order to adjust the phase shifter to compensate the variation of these three pulses. The efficiency of key creation in this system is 8/3 higher than the conventional cryptosystem based on the BB84 protocol.
We have recently constructed a fiber-optic “plug and play” quantum cryptography system as shown in Fig.1, wherein a Faraday-Mirror was used to compensate the polarization mode dispersion and phase drifts. It worked at 1550 nm and was based on the B92 protocol[1]. We have achieved stable quantum key distribution in a standard telecom fiber with different working-distances of 10, 25 and 50 km, respectively, by using some specifically developed techniques to guarantee long-term stability of our system, such as polarization-independent phase-modulation for stable phase encoding and decoding, hybrid coincidence for efficient detection of single photons with coincidence-gated quenching of the single-photon detectors followed by coincident counting of the avalanche signals, and synchronized detection of single-photon pulses by coincidence counting gated with proper delay and width. These unique techniques greatly enhanced the fringe visibility of single-photon interference. And we have also demonstrated the application of our system in cryptographic communication by sending coded pictures from Alice to Bob using the sifted quantum keys.