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International Siberian Conference on Control and Communications

Modular Platform for Photonic Optical Experiments and Quantum Cryptography

V.E. Rodimin, Mikhail Ponomarev, T. V. Kazieva, Violetta Sharoglazova, Evgeny Krivoshin, Yury Kurochkin

Published Apr 1, 2019• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a system for optical experiments and rapid prototyping of fiber optical devices. The platform has real-time FPGA functionality combined with the ease of programming on LabVIEW. A quantum key distribution (QKD) system based on the developed platform was tested both in laboratory and in the field. Presented system has engineering, scientific and educational potential.

DOI
10.1109/sibcon.2019.8729637

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Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a rapidly advancing field, yet there is often a divide between theory, experiment, and practice. One difficulty in evaluating novel QKD protocols is in the post-processing needed. We are reporting here on the current development of a modular QKD software stack researchers can use to evaluate the performance of new QKD protocols, either using real hardware or simulated. We are designing our system to be modular and extendable allowing for rapid prototyping of new systems.
The fundamental principles of quantum mechanics are considered to be hard for understanding by unprepared listeners, many attempts of its popularization turned out to be either difficult to grasp or incorrect. We propose quantum cryptography as a very effective tool for quantum physics introduction as it has the desired property set to intrigue students and outline the basic quantum principles. A modular desktop quantum cryptography setup that can be used for both educational and research purposes is presented. The carried out laboratory and field tests demonstrated usability and reliability of the developed system.
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This paper discusses in detail the principle of the optical devices in both continuous and discrete variable quantum key distribution,including the classical QKD communication system. A circuit control module using Xilinx Corporation's ML405 Evaluation Platform and suitable for various QKD experiments is proposed. The controller generates necessary nanosecond clock signals for optical devices and integrates quantum cryptography communication system. Finally,the design flow is implemented by downloading the bit stream,which is generated by the Embedded Software ISE9.1i and EDK9.1i,into FPGA chip,and completely meets the needs of the experiment.