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Chinese Physics B

Performance of phase-matching quantum key distribution based on wavelength division multiplexing technology

Haiqiang Ma, Yanxin Han, Tianqi Dou, Pengyun Li

Published May 12, 2022• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) generates information-theoretical secure keys between two parties based on the physical laws of quantum mechanics. The phase-matching (PM) QKD protocol allows the key rate to break the quantum channel secret key capacity limit without quantum repeaters, and the security of the protocol is demonstrated by using equivalent entanglement. In this paper, the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technique is applied to the PM-QKD protocol considering the effect of crosstalk noise on the secret key rate. The performance of PM-QKD protocol based on WDM with the influence of adjacent classical channels and Raman scattering is analyzed by numerical simulations to maximize the total secret key rate of the QKD, providing a reference for future implementations of QKD based on WDM techniques.

DOI
10.1088/1674-1056/ac6ee3

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Quantum key distribution (QKD) generates information-theoretical secure keys between two parties based on the physical laws of quantum mechanics. The phase-matching (PM) QKD protocol allows the key rate to break the quantum channel secret key capacity limit without quantum repeaters, and the security of the protocol is demonstrated by using equivalent entanglement. In this paper, the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technique is applied to the PM-QKD protocol considering the effect of crosstalk noise on the secret key rate. The performance of PM-QKD protocol based on WDM with the influence of adjacent classical channels and Raman scattering is analyzed by numerical simulations to maximize the total secret key rate of the QKD, providing a reference for future implementations of QKD based on WDM techniques.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) generates information-theoretical secret keys between two parties based on the physical laws of quantum mechanics. Following the advancement in quantum communication networks, it becomes feasible and economical to combine QKD with classical optical communication through the same fiber using dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology. This study proposes a detailed scheme of TF-QKD protocol with DWDM technology and analyzes its performance, considering the influence of quantum channel number and adjacent quantum crosstalk on the secret key rates. The simulation results show that the scheme further increases the secret key rate of TF-QKD and its variants. Therefore, this scheme provides a method for improving the secret key rate for practical quantum networks.
Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) of quantum key distribution (QKD) with classical optical channels has been proven to be feasible experimentally. In this paper, we will analyze the practical security of WDM-QKD theoretically. Specifically, we first establish the noise model of classical signals. Then, the influence of classical noises on the performance of decoy-state WDM-QKD is studied with a finite-key security analysis. For numerical simulations, the effect of classical noise-reduction methods for different experimental settings is given. The secret key rate and maximum transmission distance of WDM-QKD is simulated with various sent number of quantum pulses or transmitted power of classical signals. Furthermore, the performance of two kinds of decoy-state WDM-QKD is compared, which shows that the optimal decoy-state protocol for WDM-QKD is related to the sent number of quantum pulses. Since WDM-QKD is desired to reduce the cost of QKD networks and since experiments have already been carried out, our work can not only close the gap between theory and practice, but also be used to optimize the experimental parameters and improve its performance.
Reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution (RFI-QKD) can allow a quantum key distribution system to obtain the ideal key rate and transmission distance without reference system calibration, which has attracted much attention. Here, we propose an RFI-QKD protocol based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) considering finite-key analysis and crosstalk. The finite-key bound for RFI-QKD with decoy states is derived under the crosstalk of WDM. The resulting secret key rate of RFI-QKD, which is more rigorous, is obtained. Simulation results reveal that the secret key rate of RFI-QKD based on WDM is affected by the multiplexing channel number, as well as crosstalk between adjacent channels.
Abstract Mode-pairing quantum key distribution (MP-QKD), a protocol that combines high performance and flexibility, not only eliminates the need for global phase locking but also beats the rate-transmittance bound. Such remarkable characteristics are poised to further advance the practical application of quantum communication networks. In this paper, MP-QKD is extended to the scenario of multi-user communication networks. MP-QKD enables concurrent operation across multiple channels by integrating wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology, facilitating secure communication among multiple users. The performance of MP-QKD in multi-channel concurrent operation is analyzed through simulating various experimental conditions. The asymmetric MP-QKD case is also considered and pulse intensity optimization improves performance for asymmetric network channels. These results delineate the performance of MP-QKD with WDM technology, highlighting its significant potential for application in quantum communication networks.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a promising method for sharing an information-theoretically secure secret key using the properties of quantum mechanics. Although QKD is the most practical field in quantum information science, its widespread adoption is constrained by high implementation costs. Despite the cost-effectiveness of propagating QKD with classical communication using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), the noise generated by relatively strong classical signals degrades QKD performance. Even though several mitigation strategies exist, they often involve complexity or additional hardware. In this paper, we apply advantage distillation (AD) to enhance the performance of a practical decoy-state BB84 QKD system operating in a WDM environment. We perform finite-key analysis in both co-propagation and counter-propagation scenarios with three classical channels, and furthermore we examine the effects of varying the number of classical channels and the optical power per channel. A comparison of simulation results obtained with and without AD demonstrates that AD is robust to noise originating from classical channels. These results show that AD increases the secure key rate and transmission distance in the WDM-based QKD environment under both co-propagation and counter-propagation without requiring hardware changes. These findings suggest advantage distillation is a promising strategy for the widespread adoption of WDM-based QKD, including in challenging counter-propagation cases.
Abstract Typically practical realizations of discrete-variable quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, based on exchanging single-photon signals between the trusted parties, can provide its users with only very low key generation rates. One of the potential solutions for this problem, that can be adapted for the case of entanglement-based QKD schemes using broadband photon-pair sources, is to utilize wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) modules in order to split the photons with different wavelengths to separate detection channels and generate multiple keys in parallel. Here, we theoretically investigate this idea in the case of pulsed laser used to pump spontaneous parametric down-conversion source. We optimize the effective phase-matching function width of the nonlinear crystal, and the intensity and duration of the pump laser pulses in order to maximize the advantage of the overall key generation rate provided by the WDM-based QKD scheme over the traditional no-WDM scenario. The results of our analysis show that the considered method can significantly accelerate the production of cryptographic keys, but proper optimization of the photon-pair source is needed to exploit its full potential.