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Entanglement-based quantum key distribution over noisy channels

Hao Shu, Chang-Yue Zhang, Yue-Qiu Chen, Zhu‐Jun Zheng, Shao-Ming Fei

Published Jul 5, 2021• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

Quantum key distribution(QKD) is an important area in quantum information theory. There are two kinds of QKD protocols, one is so-called prepare-measure protocols and the other is entanglement-based protocols. For long-distance communications in a noisy environment, entangled-based protocols might be more reliable since they could be supplied by distilled procedures which protect them from noises. In this paper, entanglement-based QKD over certain noisy channels are discussed. We give schemes against collective noises, including collective dephasing(CD) and collective rotation(CR), Pauli noises, amplitude damping(AD) noises, phase damping(PD) noises and mixtures of them. Our discussions are in a direction about how to implement a QKD protocol over noisy channels as in a noiseless channels with no errors, in theoretical. Also, we analyse the efficiency of our schemes, demonstrating that they could be more efficient than the standard entanglement-based QKD scheme.

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Quantum key distribution based on orthogonal states.

Hao Shu

Quantum key distribution(QKD) is one of the most significant areas in quantum information theory. For nearly four decades, substantial QKD protocols and cryptographic methods are developed. In early years, the security of protocols are depend on switching different bases, which, in fact, are based on non-orthogonal states. The most famous example is the BB84 protocol. Later, other techniques were developed for orthogonal states cryptography. Representations of such protocols including the GV protocol and order-rearrangement protocols. It might be harder to implement protocols based on orthogonal states since they require extra techniques to obtain security. In this paper, we give two QKD protocols based on orthogonal states. One of them needs not to employ order-rearrangement techniques while the other needs. We give analyses of their security and efficiency. Also, anti-noisy discussions would be given. Our protocols are highly efficient when considering consumptions of both qubits and classical bits while they are robust over several noisy channels. Moveover, the requirements of maximally entangled states maybe less than previous protocols and so the efficiency of measurements may be increased.

•Jul 5, 2021•2 citations
Quantum key distribution(QKD) is an important area in quantum information theory. There are two kinds of QKD protocols, one is so-called prepare-measure protocols and the other is entanglement-based protocols. For long-distance communications in a noisy environment, entangled-based protocols might be more reliable since they could be supplied by distilled procedures which protect them from noises. In this paper, entanglement-based QKD over certain noisy channels are discussed. We give schemes against collective noises, including collective dephasing(CD) and collective rotation(CR), Pauli noises, amplitude damping(AD) noises, phase damping(PD) noises and mixtures of them. Our discussions are in a direction about how to implement a QKD protocol over noisy channels as in a noiseless channels with no errors, in theoretical. Also, we analyse the efficiency of our schemes, demonstrating that they could be more efficient than the standard entanglement-based QKD scheme.
We address the efficiency and robustness of quantum key distribution (QKD) based on entangled states in conditions of noisy quantum channels. We consider schemes based on either source or detection station located in the middle or the channel, the latter configuration allowing realization of measurement-device independent QKD. In our study we focus both on discrete-variable (DV) QKD protocols utilizing direct photodetection as well as continuous-variable (CV) ones, which are based on the homodyne detection. Equivalently parametrizing the channel excess noise for both DV and CV protocols, we use robustness of an ideal CV QKD protocol as a benchmark for the entanglement-based DV QKD. We show that DV protocols typically overcome the CV ones in both source- and detector-in-the-middle setup configurations. However, this advantage can be undermined by the practical aspects on the DV protocols. Considering quantum-dot type of the DV sources of entanglement, we show the levels of pair generation and collection efficiencies needed to overcome any CV protocols. The requirements are generally compatible with the existing technologies but may require experimental efforts to achieve. Our results are essential for the practical entanglement-based QKD protocols with modern efficient sources, aimed at potential scalability in the quantum networks.
We introduce noise-adaptive quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, in which the honest parties optimize the encoding (state preparation) and decoding (measurement basis) operations according to the noise models affecting the honest subsystems induced by an eavesdropper. This extends conventional QKD schemes that employ fixed encoding and decoding strategies independent of the noise characteristics of the communication channel. We investigate three representative protocols: entanglement-based secure dense coding (SDC), the entanglement-free Lucamarini and Mancini (LM05), and a two-way prepare-and-measure Bennett Brassard (BB84) protocols. Using entropic uncertainty relations, we derive the corresponding secret key rates for both adaptive and conventional non-adaptive scenarios under collective attacks. For independent but identical noise acting on the forward and backward transmission channels, as well as for correlated and non-Markovian environments, we identify classes of channels for which adaptive schemes yield enhanced secret key rates for the considered protocols. In contrast, we also determine Pauli channels, including depolarizing and bit flip channels, for which adaptive strategies provide no benefit. We further show that these optimal sets are generally non-unique and can differ substantially from the unitaries that maximize dense-coding capacity in the absence of security constraints. Our results establish noise-adaptive encoding and decoding as a powerful framework for improving secure communication over realistic noisy quantum channels.
Semiquantum key distribution protocols are designed to allow two parties to establish a shared secret key, secure against an all-powerful adversary, even when one of the users is restricted to measuring and preparing quantum states in one single basis. While interesting from a theoretical standpoint, these protocols have the disadvantage that a two-way quantum communication channel is necessary which generally limits their theoretical efficiency and noise tolerance. In this paper, we construct a semiquantum key distribution (SQKD) protocol which actually takes advantage of this necessary two-way channel, and, after performing an information theoretic security analysis against collective attacks, we show it is able to tolerate a channel noise level higher than any prior SQKD protocol to date. We also compare the noise tolerance of our protocol to other two-way fully quantum protocols, along with BB84 with classical advantage distillation. We also comment on some practical issues involving semiquantum key distribution (in particular, concerning the potential complexity in physical implementation of our protocol as compared with other standard QKD protocols). Finally, we develop techniques that can be applied to the security analysis of other (S)QKD protocols reliant on a two-way quantum communication channel.
We theoretically analyse the relation between non-Gaussianity and security of entanglement-based quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, namely device-independent (DI) and entanglement-based BB848484. A similar analysis has already been made for prepare-and-measure (P\&M) protocols \cite{Lasota2017}. In addition, we consider imperfect detection with dark counts and limited efficiency. We assume a perfect source of entangled Bell states as produced by quantum-dot type sources, depolarisation in the channel and different noise statistics, namely thermal and Poissonian. We consider single-photon avalanche photodiodes (SPAD) and photon number resolving detectors (PNRD) and use their respective criteria for non-Gaussianity. The results show cross-regions for both security and non-Gaussianity, hence, the possibility to conclude about the suitability of a given channel for secret key distribution. Our results can be useful as a pre-check for the implementation of QKD protocols.
Entanglement distillation is a fundamental information processing task whose implementation is key to quantum communication and modular quantum computing. Noise experienced by such communication and computing platforms occurs not only in the form of Pauli noise such as dephasing (sometimes calledT2T_{2}T2​) but also non-Pauli noise such as amplitude damping (sometimes calledT1T_{1}T1​). We initiate a study of practical and asymptotic distillation over what we call the joint damping-dephasing noise channel. In the practical setting, we propose a distillation scheme that completely isolates away the damping noise. In the asymptotic setting we derive lower bounds on the entanglement sharing capacities including the coherent and reverse coherent information. Like the protocol achieving the reverse coherent information, our scheme uses backward only communication. However for realistic damping noise(T1≠2T2)(T_{1}\neq 2T_{2})(T1​=2T2​)our strategy can exceed the reverse coherent strategy which is the best known for pure damping. In addition, our companion paper [1] presents evidence showing that the channel displays non-additivity at the 2-letter level.
Quantum key distribution(QKD) is one of the most significant areas in quantum information theory. For nearly four decades, substantial QKD protocols and cryptographic methods are developed. In early years, the security of protocols are depend on switching different bases, which, in fact, are based on non-orthogonal states. The most famous example is the BB84 protocol. Later, other techniques were developed for orthogonal states cryptography. Representations of such protocols including the GV protocol and order-rearrangement protocols. It might be harder to implement protocols based on orthogonal states since they require extra techniques to obtain security. In this paper, we give two QKD protocols based on orthogonal states. One of them needs not to employ order-rearrangement techniques while the other needs. We give analyses of their security and efficiency. Also, anti-noisy discussions would be given. Our protocols are highly efficient when considering consumptions of both qubits and classical bits while they are robust over several noisy channels. Moveover, the requirements of maximally entangled states maybe less than previous protocols and so the efficiency of measurements may be increased.