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International Journal of Quantum Information

Analysis of achievable distances of BB84 and KMB09 QKD protocols

Muhammad Mubashir Khan, Asad Arfeen, Usama Ahsan, Saneeha Ahmed, Tahreem Mumtaz

Published Sep 1, 2020• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a proven secured way to transmit shared secret keys using quantum particles. Any adversarial attempt to intercept and eavesdrop secret key results in generating errors alerting the legitimate users. Since QKD is constrained by quantum mechanics principles, the practical transmission of the key at a greater distance is an issue. In this paper, we discover and analyze the key factors associated with transmission media, hardware components and protocol implementation of the QKD system that causes hindrance in distance range. Practical implementation of BB84 and KMB09 protocols is discussed to determine the achievable distance given current technology. We find that by using ultra low loss fiber, short-pulse laser and superconducting nanowire single photon detector the maximum achievable distance for both of the quantum protocols is 250[Formula: see text]km.

DOI
10.1142/s0219749920500331

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Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a proven secured way to transmit shared secret keys using quantum particles. Any adversarial attempt to intercept and eavesdrop secret key results in generating errors alerting the legitimate users. Since QKD is constrained by quantum mechanics principles, the practical transmission of the key at a greater distance is an issue. In this paper, we discover and analyze the key factors associated with transmission media, hardware components and protocol implementation of the QKD system that causes hindrance in distance range. Practical implementation of BB84 and KMB09 protocols is discussed to determine the achievable distance given current technology. We find that by using ultra low loss fiber, short-pulse laser and superconducting nanowire single photon detector the maximum achievable distance for both of the quantum protocols is 250[Formula: see text]km.
Quantum key distribution represents one of the most mature and well-studied advances in quantum technologies. Many protocols have been implemented, breaking record distances both employing satellites [1] and fiber-based systems [2]. However, there still are open challenges in achieving long-distance links without implementing quantum repeaters. One of the main limiting factors comes from the non-ideality of detection systems, in particular from intrinsic dark counts. As the covered distances increase, the signal decreases in intensity and the intrinsic noise in the detector prevails, hindering the extraction of a secret key. In this work, we propose the use of high-performance state-of-the-art superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) showing ultra-low dark count rates to reduce the quantum bit error rate (QBER) in the detection system. Overall we achieved a link distance of 55 dB equivalent to 275 km in ultra low-loss fiber.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) has the potential for widespread real-world applications. To date no secure long-distance experiment has demonstrated the truly practical operation needed to move QKD from the laboratory to the real world due largely to limitations in synchronization and poor detector performance. Here we report results obtained using a fully automated, robust QKD system based on the Bennett Brassard 1984 protocol (BB84) with low-noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and decoy levels. Secret key is produced with unconditional security over a record 144.3 km of optical fibre, an increase of more than a factor of five compared to the previous record for unconditionally secure key generation in a practical QKD system.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) aims to generate secure private keys shared by two remote parties. With its security being protected by principles of quantum mechanics, some technology challenges remain towards practical application of QKD. The major one is the distance limit, which is caused by the fact that a quantum signal cannot be amplified while the channel loss is exponential with the distance for photon transmission in optical fiber. Here using the 3-intensity sending-or-not-sending protocol with the actively-odd-parity-pairing method, we demonstrate a fiber-based twin-field QKD over 1002 km. In our experiment, we developed a dual-band phase estimation and ultra-low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to suppress the system noise to around 0.02 Hz. The secure key rate is 9.53×10^{-12} per pulse through 1002 km fiber in the asymptotic regime, and 8.75×10^{-12} per pulse at 952 km considering the finite size effect. Our work constitutes a critical step towards the future large-scale quantum network.
Quantum computers threaten current secure communication methods, prompting the emergence of new ideas to ensure communication resistant to this threat. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is one such technology leveraging quantum physics for secure symmetric key distribution. We, therefore, present an experimental setup with accompanying programs for initialization, calibration, and data processing designed for implementing QKD based on the BB84 protocol, using lasers at wavelengths of 810 nm. In our approach, Alice and Bob do not need to have synchronized watches nor share a synchronizing signal: their alignment in time is achieved by minimization of the bit error rate (BER). The protocol has been successfully executed at up to 8.3 dB loss, equivalent to 2.7 km of G.652.D telecom fiber, commonly used in current communications. Achieved BER is 1.0% at 0.7 dB loss and rises to 1.7% for 8.3 dB loss. While usual QKD solutions prefer expensive IR components and detectors in the telecom wavelength range, our study shows the viability of using affordable near-infrared (NIR) optics and silicon SPAD-based detectors for shorter distances.
A quantum key distribution (QKD) system produced shared secret key and transmitted the key between the sender and receiver in a highly secured transmission. QKD uses the fundamental of quantum properties of a single photon to provide a secured communication channel with absolute security guaranteed by the laws of physics. This research has developed a simulator software for BB84 and B92 protocols which implemented both protocols in 802.11i WLAN environment. The parameters used for this research are with attack and without attack, where measured by three measurements for both protocols which are final key length, expected key length by eavesdropper and error rate estimation. The 802.11i WLAN is consider as insecure because the tendency to be intercepted by intruders is high. Furthermore, the interference from other consumer devices such as cordless phone and microwave can contribute to degradation of WLAN performance. This type of noise can generate different numbers of final key length and different levels of error rate estimation. Thus, the level of the error rate estimation determined the secrecy of the secret key. The discussion of security issue between BB84 and B92 protocols also discussed in terms of secrecy and strength of the secret key between both protocols in 802.11i WLAN.
The recent advances in superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD or SSPD) technology has enabled long distance quantum key distribution (QKD) over an optical fiber. We point out that the performance of SNSPDs play a crucial role in achieving a secure transmission distance of 100 km or longer. We analyze such an impact from a simplified model and use it to interpret results from our differential-phase-shift (DPS) QKD experiment. This allows us to discuss the optimization of the detection time window and the clock frequency given the detector characteristics such as dark count rate, detection efficiency, and timing jitter.