Recent Developments in Practical QKD

Hasan Abbas Al-Mohammed, Elias E. Yaacoub

Akihisa Tomita

Continuing efforts have been made to develop practical quantum key distribution (QKD) systems on the installed fiber networks since early 2000s [1]. Recently, several groups have demonstrated high-speed QKD systems [2,3] with GHz-clock frequency working stably on the installed-fiber networks [4-7]. Along with the hardware development, an efficient key management protocol [7] has been implemented to construct a QKD platform to supply information-theoretically secure key for multiple applications. The highly available QKD platform is expected to promote social deployment of the QKD technology.

Yunsong Gui, D Unnikrishnan, Manoj Stanley +1 more

Abstract The metrology of the QKD devices and systems grows increasingly important in recent years not only because of the needs for conformance and performance testing in the standardization, but more importantly, imperfect implementation of the devices and systems or deviations from the theoretical models, which could be exploited by eavesdropper, should be carefully characterised to avoid the so-called side channel attack. In this paper, we review the recent advances in many aspects of the QKD metrology in both fibre based QKD and free space QKD systems, including a cutting edge metrology facility development and application, traceable calibration methods, and practical device characterising technologies, all of which have been contributed by the metrology communities and relative institutions.

Peter Y. A. Ryan, Bruce Christianson

Daniel J. Rogers

Alexander Grebenchukov, Hui Lui, Gleb Nazarikov +3 more

Quantum communications enable the transmission of information in a secure way that is ensured by the laws of quantum physics. Current quantum-safe communication systems are based on quantum key distribution (QKD) technology at their core. In the most recent years, a remarkable effort has been put into practical implementations of QKD with a focus on their integration into classical optical networks, some of which are becoming commercially available. However, even with the ongoing development of QKD systems, there are efforts toward their miniaturization, power efficiency improvement, and enhancement of their flexibility and functionality.In this paper, we outline major QKD protocols and review recent advances in QKD systems based on photonic integrated circuits. Finally, we will discuss the potential feasibility of multi-protocol QKD chips leveraging the advantages of different protocols in one solution.