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Device-independent Quantum Key Distribution and the Role of Bell Nonlocality

Timo Holz

Published Jan 1, 2020• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Quantum entanglement is a unique property of quantum particles. It can correlate them in such a way, that further correlations to an additional unwanted party is prevented. This renders quantum theory as the prime candidate to implement a secure distribution of an encryption key. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is dedicated to this task. A striking feature of correlations in a statistical experiment is, that they can, in principle, always be approximated. Even more so, correlations can be obtained without a detailed knowledge about the underlying physical process that generated the experimental data. This no-characterization approach is at the heart of the device-independent (DI) paradigm. Here, Bell inequalities are an imperative tool to detect nonlocal correlations, which are necessary for a DI secret key. One central subject of this thesis is multipartite DIQKD and the implications of Bell nonlocality in this context. Any DIQKD protocol involves test rounds in which the violation of a Bell inequality is checked. For multipartite DIQKD, however, not all Bell inequalities are suitable. We identify the crucial properties a Bell test requires to be a viable option. In this light, a published protocol for multipartite DIQKD is examined. We establish an incompatibility which is inherent to the proposed Bell test in combination with the required quantum states. This leads us to the conclusion, that the proposed protocol necessarily aborts. In a subsequent work, we develop a family of multipartite Bell inequalities, specifically tailored to the task of DI conference key agreement (CKA). Several features of this Bell inequality are analytically characterized. In addition, we prove its usefulness for the purposes of DICKA. To this end, semidefinite programming techniques are employed and extended to the multipartite scenario which allows us to quantify asymptotic DI conference key rates. In a second part, we explore the challenges of implementing (bipartite) long-distance DIQKD with quantum repeaters. For two repeater protocols, we describe how experimental parameters manifest themselves in DI secret-key rates. In doing so, we shed light on the fundamental differences between the usual and the DI scenario and we benchmark the threshold requirements of quantum devices to make profitable DI secret-key rates feasible. Finally, we develop a general method to describe in a non-DI setting the propagation of an important class of errors through quantum circuits in arbitrary dimensions. With this, we discuss the potential of error-corrected quantum repeaters to overcome fundamental point-to-point limitations.

Related papers

Entropy Bounds for Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Local Bell Test

Ernest Y.-Z. Tan, Ramona Wolf

One of the main challenges in device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) is achieving the required Bell violation over long distances, as the channel losses result in low overall detection efficiencies. Recent works have explored the concept of certifying nonlocal correlations over extended distances through the use of a local Bell test. Here, an additional quantum device is placed in close proximity to one party, using short-distance correlations to verify nonlocal behavior at long distances. However, existing works have either not resolved the question of DIQKD security against active attackers in this setup, or used methods that do not yield tight bounds on the key rates. In this work, we introduce a general formulation of the key rate computation task in this setup that can be combined with recently developed methods for analyzing standard DIQKD. Using this method, we show that if the short-distance devices exhibit sufficiently high detection efficiencies, positive key rates can be achieved in the long-distance branch with lower detection efficiencies as compared to standard DIQKD setups. This highlights the potential for improved performance of DIQKD over extended distances in scenarios where short-distance correlations are leveraged to validate quantum correlations.

arXiv:2404.00792•Physical Review Letters•Sep 19, 2024•7 citations

Implementations for device-independent quantum key distribution

Alejandro Máttar, Antonio Acín

Abstract Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) generates a secret key among two parties in a provably secure way without making assumptions about the internal working of the devices used in the protocol. The main challenge for a DIQKD physical implementation is that the data observed among the two parties must violate a Bell inequality without fair-sampling, since otherwise the observed correlations can be faked with classical resources and security can no longer be guaranteed. In spite of the advances recently made to achieve higher detection efficiencies in Bell experiments, DIQKD remains experimentally difficult at long distances due to the exponential increase of loss in the channel separating the two parties. Here we describe and analyze plausible solutions to overcome the crucial problem of channel loss in the frame of DIQKD physical implementations.

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Multipartite device-independent quantum key distribution (DI-QKD), also known as device-independent conference key agreement, enables more than two remote parties to share a common key with information-theoretic security even without trusting the devices. So far, several multipartite DI-QKD protocols have been proposed where Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states are used as multipartite entanglement. A natural question is then whether one can construct multipartite DI-QKD with the other type of multipartite entanglement. W state is of particular interest since it is intrinsically different from GHZ state and in some cases, easier to optically implement. In this paper, we show that multipartite DI-QKD is possible with W states. To this end, we construct Bell inequalities largely violated by W states, which can be used for the multipartite DI-QKD. Furthermore, we consider several different implementation scenarios. First, we analyze the minimum required detection efficiencies to extract finite amount of keys. Then we propose a long-distance multipartite DI-QKD protocol with single-photon interference and make detailed analyses with several physical implementation scenarios. We show that the protocol enables secret key distribution over longer distances than the existing multipartite DI-QKD protocols based on GHZ states. This study provides new insight about the relationship between multipartite entanglement and device-independent quantum information processing as well as opens an alternative path toward long-distance multipartite DI-QKD.

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Abstract Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) enables the generation of secret keys over an untrusted channel using uncharacterized and potentially untrusted devices 1–9 . The proper and secure functioning of the devices can be certified by a statistical test using a Bell inequality 10–12 . This test originates from the foundations of quantum physics and also ensures robustness against implementation loopholes 13 , thereby leaving only the integrity of the users’ locations to be guaranteed by other means. The realization of DIQKD, however, is extremely challenging—mainly because it is difficult to establish high-quality entangled states between two remote locations with high detection efficiency. Here we present an experimental system that enables for DIQKD between two distant users. The experiment is based on the generation and analysis of event-ready entanglement between two independently trapped single rubidium atoms located in buildings 400 metre apart 14 . By achieving an entanglement fidelity of $$ {\mathcal F} \,\ge 0.892(23)$$ ℱ ≥ 0.892 ( 23 ) and implementing a DIQKD protocol with random key basis 15 , we observe a significant violation of a Bell inequality of S = 2.578(75)—above the classical limit of 2—and a quantum bit error rate of only 0.078(9). For the protocol, this results in a secret key rate of 0.07 bits per entanglement generation event in the asymptotic limit, and thus demonstrates the system’s capability to generate secret keys. Our results of secure key exchange with potentially untrusted devices pave the way to the ultimate form of quantum secure communications in future quantum networks.

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Fully device-independent conference key agreement

Jérémy Ribeiro, Gláucia Murta, Stephanie Wehner

We present a security analysis of conference key agreement (CKA) in the most adversarial model of device independence (DI). Our protocol can be implemented by any experimental setup that is capable of performing Bell tests [specifically, the Mermin-Ardehali-Belinskii-Klyshko (MABK) inequality], and security can in principle be obtained for any violation of the MABK inequality that detects genuine multipartite entanglement among the $N$ parties involved in the protocol. As our main tool, we derive a direct physical connection between the $N$-partite MABK inequality and the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality, showing that certain violations of the MABK inequality correspond to a violation of the CHSH inequality between one of the parties and the other $N\ensuremath{-}1$. We compare the asymptotic key rate for device-independent conference key agreement (DICKA) to the case where the parties use $N\ensuremath{-}1$ device-independent quantum key distribution protocols in order to generate a common key. We show that for some regime of noise the DICKA protocol leads to better rates.

arXiv:1708.00798•Physical Review A•Feb 6, 2018•102 citations

Quantum Correlations: From Full Nonlocality to Device-Independent Certification

Edwin Peter Lobo

Quantum theory admits correlations between distant parties that are stronger than those permitted by classical physics. Such correlations, which are termed nonlocal, have been studied extensively since their discovery by John Bell in 1964. This thesis makes progress on various aspects of quantum nonlocality both from a foundational and practical perspective. We begin by studying a foundational question on the relationship between nonlocality and quantum entanglement. We show that the strongest form of nonlocality, also called pseudo-telepathy or full nonlocality, can be demonstrated by non-maximally entangled states and prove that all pure entangled states can demonstrate full nonlocality in the many-copy scenario. We also provide non-trivial examples of fully nonlocal mixed states. We then turn to the study of another phenomenon in quantum theory which is essential in almost all demonstrations of non-classicality—measurement incompatibility. We generalise the notion of measurement incompatibility and show that our notion has strong operational relevance: it captures the randomness in the outcomes of an untrusted measurement device against a classical adversary. We use our formalism to derive new bounds on the experimental losses and noise that can be tolerated in quantum communication protocols before they become insecure. We then begin a systematic study of routed Bell experiments, a variant of standard Bell experiments that was introduced to demonstrate nonlocality over long distances in the presence of losses and noise. We formalize the notion of genuine long-range quantum correlations in routed Bell experiments and develop numerical and analytical tools to characterize them. We show that routed Bell experiments allow for the demonstration of long-range quantum correlations at arbitrarily large distances using only entangled qubit states. We then prove the security of fully device-independent (DI) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols based on routed Bell tests and quantify the resulting improvement in key rate and distance compared to standard DI QKD protocols.

•Sep 1, 2026•0 citations
Quantum entanglement is a unique property of quantum particles. It can correlate them in such a way, that further correlations to an additional unwanted party is prevented. This renders quantum theory as the prime candidate to implement a secure distribution of an encryption key. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is dedicated to this task. A striking feature of correlations in a statistical experiment is, that they can, in principle, always be approximated. Even more so, correlations can be obtained without a detailed knowledge about the underlying physical process that generated the experimental data. This no-characterization approach is at the heart of the device-independent (DI) paradigm. Here, Bell inequalities are an imperative tool to detect nonlocal correlations, which are necessary for a DI secret key. One central subject of this thesis is multipartite DIQKD and the implications of Bell nonlocality in this context. Any DIQKD protocol involves test rounds in which the violation of a Bell inequality is checked. For multipartite DIQKD, however, not all Bell inequalities are suitable. We identify the crucial properties a Bell test requires to be a viable option. In this light, a published protocol for multipartite DIQKD is examined. We establish an incompatibility which is inherent to the proposed Bell test in combination with the required quantum states. This leads us to the conclusion, that the proposed protocol necessarily aborts. In a subsequent work, we develop a family of multipartite Bell inequalities, specifically tailored to the task of DI conference key agreement (CKA). Several features of this Bell inequality are analytically characterized. In addition, we prove its usefulness for the purposes of DICKA. To this end, semidefinite programming techniques are employed and extended to the multipartite scenario which allows us to quantify asymptotic DI conference key rates. In a second part, we explore the challenges of implementing (bipartite) long-distance DIQKD with quantum repeaters. For two repeater protocols, we describe how experimental parameters manifest themselves in DI secret-key rates. In doing so, we shed light on the fundamental differences between the usual and the DI scenario and we benchmark the threshold requirements of quantum devices to make profitable DI secret-key rates feasible. Finally, we develop a general method to describe in a non-DI setting the propagation of an important class of errors through quantum circuits in arbitrary dimensions. With this, we discuss the potential of error-corrected quantum repeaters to overcome fundamental point-to-point limitations.
One of the main challenges in device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) is achieving the required Bell violation over long distances, as the channel losses result in low overall detection efficiencies. Recent works have explored the concept of certifying nonlocal correlations over extended distances through the use of a local Bell test. Here, an additional quantum device is placed in close proximity to one party, using short-distance correlations to verify nonlocal behavior at long distances. However, existing works have either not resolved the question of DIQKD security against active attackers in this setup, or used methods that do not yield tight bounds on the key rates. In this work, we introduce a general formulation of the key rate computation task in this setup that can be combined with recently developed methods for analyzing standard DIQKD. Using this method, we show that if the short-distance devices exhibit sufficiently high detection efficiencies, positive key rates can be achieved in the long-distance branch with lower detection efficiencies as compared to standard DIQKD setups. This highlights the potential for improved performance of DIQKD over extended distances in scenarios where short-distance correlations are leveraged to validate quantum correlations.
Abstract Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) generates a secret key among two parties in a provably secure way without making assumptions about the internal working of the devices used in the protocol. The main challenge for a DIQKD physical implementation is that the data observed among the two parties must violate a Bell inequality without fair-sampling, since otherwise the observed correlations can be faked with classical resources and security can no longer be guaranteed. In spite of the advances recently made to achieve higher detection efficiencies in Bell experiments, DIQKD remains experimentally difficult at long distances due to the exponential increase of loss in the channel separating the two parties. Here we describe and analyze plausible solutions to overcome the crucial problem of channel loss in the frame of DIQKD physical implementations.
Multipartite device-independent quantum key distribution (DI-QKD), also known as device-independent conference key agreement, enables more than two remote parties to share a common key with information-theoretic security even without trusting the devices. So far, several multipartite DI-QKD protocols have been proposed where Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states are used as multipartite entanglement. A natural question is then whether one can construct multipartite DI-QKD with the other type of multipartite entanglement. W state is of particular interest since it is intrinsically different from GHZ state and in some cases, easier to optically implement. In this paper, we show that multipartite DI-QKD is possible with W states. To this end, we construct Bell inequalities largely violated by W states, which can be used for the multipartite DI-QKD. Furthermore, we consider several different implementation scenarios. First, we analyze the minimum required detection efficiencies to extract finite amount of keys. Then we propose a long-distance multipartite DI-QKD protocol with single-photon interference and make detailed analyses with several physical implementation scenarios. We show that the protocol enables secret key distribution over longer distances than the existing multipartite DI-QKD protocols based on GHZ states. This study provides new insight about the relationship between multipartite entanglement and device-independent quantum information processing as well as opens an alternative path toward long-distance multipartite DI-QKD.
Abstract Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) enables the generation of secret keys over an untrusted channel using uncharacterized and potentially untrusted devices 1–9 . The proper and secure functioning of the devices can be certified by a statistical test using a Bell inequality 10–12 . This test originates from the foundations of quantum physics and also ensures robustness against implementation loopholes 13 , thereby leaving only the integrity of the users’ locations to be guaranteed by other means. The realization of DIQKD, however, is extremely challenging—mainly because it is difficult to establish high-quality entangled states between two remote locations with high detection efficiency. Here we present an experimental system that enables for DIQKD between two distant users. The experiment is based on the generation and analysis of event-ready entanglement between two independently trapped single rubidium atoms located in buildings 400 metre apart 14 . By achieving an entanglement fidelity of F ≥0.892(23) {\mathcal F} \,\ge 0.892(23)F≥0.892(23) ℱ ≥ 0.892 ( 23 ) and implementing a DIQKD protocol with random key basis 15 , we observe a significant violation of a Bell inequality of S = 2.578(75)—above the classical limit of 2—and a quantum bit error rate of only 0.078(9). For the protocol, this results in a secret key rate of 0.07 bits per entanglement generation event in the asymptotic limit, and thus demonstrates the system’s capability to generate secret keys. Our results of secure key exchange with potentially untrusted devices pave the way to the ultimate form of quantum secure communications in future quantum networks.
We present a security analysis of conference key agreement (CKA) in the most adversarial model of device independence (DI). Our protocol can be implemented by any experimental setup that is capable of performing Bell tests [specifically, the Mermin-Ardehali-Belinskii-Klyshko (MABK) inequality], and security can in principle be obtained for any violation of the MABK inequality that detects genuine multipartite entanglement among the NNN parties involved in the protocol. As our main tool, we derive a direct physical connection between the NNN-partite MABK inequality and the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality, showing that certain violations of the MABK inequality correspond to a violation of the CHSH inequality between one of the parties and the other $N\ensuremath{-}1$. We compare the asymptotic key rate for device-independent conference key agreement (DICKA) to the case where the parties use $N\ensuremath{-}1$ device-independent quantum key distribution protocols in order to generate a common key. We show that for some regime of noise the DICKA protocol leads to better rates.
Quantum theory admits correlations between distant parties that are stronger than those permitted by classical physics. Such correlations, which are termed nonlocal, have been studied extensively since their discovery by John Bell in 1964. This thesis makes progress on various aspects of quantum nonlocality both from a foundational and practical perspective. We begin by studying a foundational question on the relationship between nonlocality and quantum entanglement. We show that the strongest form of nonlocality, also called pseudo-telepathy or full nonlocality, can be demonstrated by non-maximally entangled states and prove that all pure entangled states can demonstrate full nonlocality in the many-copy scenario. We also provide non-trivial examples of fully nonlocal mixed states. We then turn to the study of another phenomenon in quantum theory which is essential in almost all demonstrations of non-classicality—measurement incompatibility. We generalise the notion of measurement incompatibility and show that our notion has strong operational relevance: it captures the randomness in the outcomes of an untrusted measurement device against a classical adversary. We use our formalism to derive new bounds on the experimental losses and noise that can be tolerated in quantum communication protocols before they become insecure. We then begin a systematic study of routed Bell experiments, a variant of standard Bell experiments that was introduced to demonstrate nonlocality over long distances in the presence of losses and noise. We formalize the notion of genuine long-range quantum correlations in routed Bell experiments and develop numerical and analytical tools to characterize them. We show that routed Bell experiments allow for the demonstration of long-range quantum correlations at arbitrarily large distances using only entangled qubit states. We then prove the security of fully device-independent (DI) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols based on routed Bell tests and quantify the resulting improvement in key rate and distance compared to standard DI QKD protocols.