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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Protocols Beyond Just QKD on an Eight-User Quantum Network

Siddarth Koduru Joshi, Zixin Huang, Alasdair I. Fletcher, Naomi R. Solomons, Ittoop Vergheese Puthoor, Yoann Pelet, Djeylan Aktas, Cosmo Lupo, Armanda O. Quintavalle, Sören Wengerowsky, Martin Lončarić, Sebastian Philipp Neumann, Bo Liu, Thomas Scheidl, Željko Samec, Laurent Kling, Alex Qiu, Erika Andersson, Stefano Pirandola, Rupert Ursin, Mario Stipčević, John Rarity

Published Jan 1, 2021• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum networks have been limited to QKD. Here we present an 8 user quantum network running 5 different anonymity protocols, digital signatures, authentication transfer (sharing initial authentication keys) and flooding (optimally utilization of resources).
DOI
10.1364/cleo_at.2021.am4o.3

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Abstract Anonymity in networked communication is vital for many privacy-preserving tasks. Secure key distribution alone is insufficient for high-security communications. Often, knowing who transmits a message to whom and when must also be kept hidden from an adversary. Here, we experimentally demonstrate five information-theoretically secure anonymity protocols on an eight user city-wide quantum network using polarisation entangled photon pairs. At the heart of these protocols is anonymous broadcasting, which is a cryptographic primitive that allows one user to reveal one bit of information while keeping their identity anonymous. For a network of n users, the protocols retain anonymity for the sender, given that no more than n − 2 users are colluding. This is an implementation of genuine multi-user cryptographic protocols beyond standard QKD. Our anonymous protocols enhance the functionality of any fully-connected Quantum Key Distribution network without trusted nodes.
Anonymity in networked communication is vital for many privacy-preserving tasks. Secure key distribution alone is insufficient for high-security communications, often knowing who transmits a message to whom and when must also be kept hidden from an adversary. Here we experimentally demonstrate 5 information-theoretically secure anonymity protocols on an 8 user city-wide quantum network using polarisation-entangled photon pairs. At the heart of these protocols is anonymous broadcasting, which is a cryptographic primitive that allows one user to reveal one bit of information while keeping her identity anonymous. For a network of nnn users, the protocols retain anonymity for the sender, given less than n−2n-2n−2 users are dishonest. This is one of the earliest implementations of genuine multi-user cryptographic protocols beyond standard QKD. Our anonymous protocols enhance the functionality of any fully-connected Quantum Key Distribution network without trusted nodes.