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Physics World

Holy cow!

Published Dec 1, 2011• 0 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1088/2058-7058/24/12/2

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We present a rigorous mathematical framework for verifying effective entanglement in a Coherent One-Way (COW) quantum key distribution setup. In particular, we introduce a two-parameter family of entanglement witnesses, identify the parameter ranges where they constitute valid witnesses, and demonstrate their ability to reveal effective entanglement in the COW protocol. Additionally, we analyze previously obtained experimental data from a COW implementation and report clear signatures of effective entanglement.
Coherent One-Way (COW) is a simple and widely utilized quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol, favored in both experimental and commercial applications. In this paper, we compare the information that an eavesdropper, Eve, can acquire in both the 2-decoy and 1-decoy COW protocols. Our findings demonstrate that the 2-decoy protocol offers enhanced security compared to the original 1-decoy COW, all while preserving the simplicity of implementation. Furthermore, we have experimentally implemented the improved security COW-QKD (2-decoy protocol), achieving a secure key rate exceeding 0.5 kbps over a distance of 110 km (22 dB loss) in optical fiber, with an interference visibility greater than 80%. We also emphasize that monitoring the click rates of the data line detector for each state individually serves as a powerful method for detecting zero-error attacks.
The coherent one-way (COW) protocol is a quantum key distribution scheme that has attracted significant attention, leading to the development and commercialization of practical implementations. Despite this progress, the security of the COW protocol has remained a fundamental challenge since its introduction. Numerous studies have investigated its security, and several security proofs have been proposed over the years. More recently, a number of works have questioned the security of this protocol. In particular, one of the latest studies introduced an attack that severely limits the security of COW-QKD and reported a maximum secure distance of less than 20km. In this work, we introduce minimal alteration to the COW protocol that can enhance its security. Specifically, instead of monitoring the coherence between successive pulses, we propose to monitor quantum correlations through the violation of Bell inequalities. This approach enables the detection of a broader class of potential attacks. Our simulation results indicate that, by employing this method, the maximum secure distance of the protocol can be extended to approximately 259km.