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The European Physical Journal D

Practical decoy state quantum key distribution with detector efficiency mismatch

Yangyang Fei, Xiangdong Meng, Ming Yuan Gao, Zhi Ma, Hong Wang

Published Jun 1, 2018• 7 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1140/epjd/e2018-90110-3

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To the active-basis-choice decoy-state quantum-key-distribution systems with detector efficiency mismatch, we present a modified attack strategy, which is based on the faked states attack, with quantum nondemolition measurement ability to restress the threat of detector efficiency mismatch. Considering that perfect quantum nondemolition measurement ability doesn't exist in real life, we also propose a practical attack strategy using photon number resolving detectors. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results show that, without changing the channel, our attack strategies are serious threats to decoy-state quantum-key-distribution systems. The eavesdropper may get some information about the secret key without causing any alarms. Besides, the lower bound of detector efficiency mismatch to run our modified faked states attack successfully with perfect quantum nondemolition measurement ability is also given out, which provides the producers of quantum-key-distribution systems with a reference and can be treated as the approximate secure bound of detector efficiency mismatch in decoy-state quantum-key-distribution systems.
One of the challenges in practical quantum key distribution is dealing with efficiency mismatch between different threshold single-photon detectors. There are known bounds for the secret key rate for the BB84 protocol with detection-efficiency mismatch provided that the eavesdropper sends no more than one photon to the legitimate receiver. Here we improve these bounds and give tight bounds for the secret key rate with a constant detection-efficiency mismatch under the same single-photon assumption. We propose a method based on the analytical minimization of the relative entropy of coherence, which can be used in other problems in quantum key distribution. Also we propose an adaptation of the decoy state method to prove the security in the case of weak coherent pulses on the source side.
Detection-efficiency mismatch is a common problem in realistic quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. The existing security proofs for the case of the passive basis choice provide a nonzero secret key rate only for a small detection-efficiency mismatch. Unfortunately, in realistic setups, the detection-efficiency mismatch can be significant. Here we present a more precise estimation of the secret key rate for the BB84 protocol with the passive basis choice, which accounts for the detection-efficiency mismatch between four threshold detectors as well as an adaptation of the decoy-state method. The suggested approach is used to estimate the secret key rate in a QKD experiment between the Micius satellite and the Zvenigorod ground station.