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Physics

Quantum Cryptography—A Simplified Undergraduate Experiment and Simulation

Yuval Bloom, Ilai Fields, Alona Maslennikov, Georgi Gary Rozenman

Published Jan 25, 2022• 35 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum cryptography is a topic of considerable interest. A simple and robust experiment and theory for a senior level undergraduate investigation of quantum key distribution are described. In the proposed experiment, key principles from the BB84 protocol, used in quantum cryptography, are emulated using an optical apparatus and computational scripts independently.

DOI
10.3390/physics4010009

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Quantum cryptography is a topic of considerable interest. A simple and robust experiment and theory for a senior level undergraduate investigation of quantum key distribution are described. In the proposed experiment, key principles from the BB84 protocol, used in quantum cryptography, are emulated using an optical apparatus and computational scripts independently.
Quantum cryptography continues to be an area of significant research and educational interest. Here, a straightforward and reliable approach to both the experimental and theoretical aspects of quantum key distribution is presented, tailored for senior undergraduate students. Focusing on illustrating the essential concepts of the B92 protocol through a combination of optical experiments and custom-developed computational tools, this work offers a thorough exploration of quantum cryptography according to the principles of the B92 protocol.
We show in details the four quantum key distribution protocols which initiated the important field of quantum cryptography, using an accessible language for undergraduate students. We begin presenting the BB84 protocol, which uses polarization states of photons in order to transmit cryptographic keys. Thereupon we show the E91 protocol, whose security is based on the use of singlet states to generate a random sequence of bits. We end the paper with the BBM92 and the B92 protocol. These last two protocols can be seen as simplified versions of the first two.
Public key cryptosystems can well become void with the advent of incredibly high performance quantum computers. The underlying principles of these computers themselves, namely quantum mechanics, provide the solution to the key distribution problem. This paper explains how cryptography will be benefited from quantum mechanics, through a short introduction to classical cryptography, and the general principles of quantum cryptography and the BB84 protocol for key distribution. Then we review a modification to the BB84 protocol that is logically claimed to increase its efficiency. We then validate this claim by presenting our simulation results for BB84 and its improved protocols and show that the efficiency of the improved protocol could be doubled without undermining the security level of BB84 protocol.
Abstract: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a cryptographic technique that allows two parties to establish a secure communication channel by using the laws of quantum mechanics. The BB84 protocol is one of the earliest and most widely used QKD protocols that uses the properties of quantum entanglement and superposition to securely exchange cryptographic keys[3] . In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the BB84 protocol and its implementation. We also discuss the security aspects of the protocol and its vulnerabilities. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of the future prospects and challenges in the field of quantum cryptography
All traditional cryptographic algorithms used in the network communication environments, relied on mathematical models and computational assumptions, are actually unsafe and apt by many attackers (quantum and man-in-the-middle attacks). Therefore, nowadays Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) promises a secure key agreement by using quantum mechanical systems. QKD becomes a significant trend of new cryptographic revolution. This paper explains how cryptography exploits the quantum mechanics in order to achieve an encryption/decryption process. Additionally, this paper provides a standard simulation for QKD-BB84 protocol and describes improvement key generation and key distribution mechanisms. Then, validation, results and efficiency of BB84 protocol are presented using different security configurations. Finally, our results indicated that the QKD is susceptible to corporate with different security applications and achieve the key availability for such applications. However, it suffers from the higher rate of authentication cost.