Quantum polarisation is an important property that has extensively being used for quantum communication purposes.In this work, initially, the mixture of an unpolarised two-mode state and a two-mode pure state is analysed.Such mixture is controlled by a single parameter, the degree of purity.The quantum polarisation of the twomode mixed state is discussed using quantum Stokes parameters.After, a quantum key distribution set-up using geometric rotating of the quantum polarisation of coherent light pulses is proposed and analysed using both pure and mixed states.
Quantum polarisation is an important property that has extensively being used for quantum communication purposes.In this work, initially, the mixture of an unpolarised two-mode state and a two-mode pure state is analysed.Such mixture is controlled by a single parameter, the degree of purity.The quantum polarisation of the twomode mixed state is discussed using quantum Stokes parameters.After, a quantum key distribution set-up using geometric rotating of the quantum polarisation of coherent light pulses is proposed and analysed using both pure and mixed states.
Quantum polarization is an important property that has been extensively used for quantum communication purposes. In this work, the mixture of an unpolarized two-mode state and a two-mode pure state is analysed. This mixture is controlled by a single parameter, namely the degree of purity. The quantum polarization of the two-mode mixed state is discussed using the quantum Stokes parameters and the quantum degree of polarization. A relation between the degree of purity and the quantum degree of polarization is established. The mixture is used to model coherent light amplified by an erbium-doped fibre amplifier, which focuses the loss of polarization due to the unpolarized light resulting from spontaneous emission. Finally, the use of such a mixed state in the quantum key distribution using multiphoton pulses is analysed.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) employs the laws of quantum mechanics for the purpose of cryptography. Two parties, commonly called Alice and Bob, are able to share a random key which is used to encrypt a message. Any eavesdropper trying to intercept their key will have to make measurements, thereby disturbing the system. This can be detected by Alice and Bob and they will then discard their key. Polarisation encoded QKD protocols use the polarisation of single photons as qubits to generate a cryptographic key. This can be implemented using a fibre optic link between Alice and Bob but the polarisation of light is altered when passed through a fibre due to birefringence caused by asymmetries in the fibre. This causes refractive differences for orthogonal components of the state of polarisation of light, so the polarisation is rotated as the photon is transmitted through the fibre. If the fibre is fixed, the change of polarisation will be unique and constant. This can be compensated by rotating each photon appropriately to its original state. Under typical environmental conditions, such as temperature changes and vibrations, the birefringence effects vary and should be compensated in real time. Therefore, an active polarisation controller is needed in order to maintain the state of polarisation of each qubit. An investigation was done to first track how the state of polarisation changes over time in a natural environment. Both wavelength-division multiplexing and time-division multiplexing were investigated as testing methods for the compensation system. A timedivision multiplexed system was developed to compensate the changes in polarisation. Since QKD protocols such as BB84 and B92 utilise two non-orthogonal bases, two polarisation controllers are usually used for compensation. However, by using a search algorithm, one polarisation controller was able to isolate the plane on the Poincare sphere that passes through both bases, thus compensating non-orthogonal states with one device.
We discuss a continuous variables method of quantum key distribution employing strongly polarized coherent states of light. The key encoding is performed using the variables known as Stokes parameters, rather than the field quadratures. Their quantum counterpart, the Stokes operators Ŝi ( i =1,2,3), constitute a set of non-commuting operators, being the precision of simultaneous measurements of a pair of them limited by an uncertainty-like relation. Alice transmits a conveniently modulated two-mode coherent state, and Bob randomly measures one of the Stokes parameters of the incoming beam. After performing reconciliation and privacy amplification procedures, it is possible to distill a secret common key. We also consider a non-ideal situation, in which coherent states with thermal noise, instead of pure coherent states, are used for encoding.
In this dissertation, it is realized a study of light polarization and its applications in quantum communications. Initially, the mathematical tools needed for single-photon and coherent states polarization analyses are presented: coherence matrix, Stokes parameters and polarization degree. Following, using numerical simulations, it is presented the variation of the degree of polarization of a single-photon pulse during depolarizing channel propagation. At last, the result of an experiment using coherent states, aiming to measure the degree of polarization after propagation in 200 m optical fiber is presented. The experiment is useful for determination of the parameter of the qubit depolarizing channel model. Since light polarization is easily changed when environment fluctuations are present during fiber propagation, optical schemes able to correct unpredictable polarization changes are studied. Such schemes are employed for error correction in quantum communication systems. Based on already proposed error correction schemes, two new schemes are proposed, one for systems that employs polarization of singlephoton light, and other for systems that employs polarization of two-mode coherent states, being the first active, that is, requiring a control and synchronism protocol, while the second is passive. At last, it is realized a security analysis of a quantum key distribution system, employing the proposed error correction scheme, when the same is under Fuch-Peres-Brandt attack. It is shown that using the proposed error correction scheme the presence of an eavesdropper monitoring the quantum channel is more visible.
Polarization of light has been used extensively in quantum information processing, and quantum entanglement is essential to many areas of research, including quantum computing. Here we investigate the degree of polarization and the entanglement of a family of quantum states known as photon-added entangled coherent states. Such states could serve as means of entanglement distribution and quantum key distribution. Using the quantum Stokes parameters and the Q function, we demonstrate that, in general, the degree of polarization of two two-mode photon-added coherent states increases significantly with the number of added photons. And using the concurrence, we show that the amount of entanglement in this kind of superposition presents a behavior that is dependent on whether or not the number of added photons in each mode is the same.
Polarization has been used extensively in quantum information processing, and quantum entanglement is essential to many areas of research, including quantum computing. Here we investigate the degree of polarization and the entanglement of a family of quantum states known as photon-added entangled coherent states. Such states could serve as means of entanglement distribution and quantum key distribution. Using the quantum Stokes parameters and the Q function, we demonstrated that, in general, the polarization of a superposition of two two-mode photon-added coherent states increases significantly with the number of added photons. And using the concurrence, we showed that the amount of entanglement in this kind of superposition presents a behavior that is dependent on whether or not the number of added photons on each mode is the same.