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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

Universal Encoder for Phase-, Time-Bin- and Polarization-Based QKD Schemes

Silas Eul, Thomas Hiemstra, Joost Vermeer, Julian Struck, Christoph Marquardt

Published Jun 23, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Here we present a QKD transmitter architecture, which enables the preparation of a fast and stable modulation of coherent light for polarisation, phase or time-bin encoded quantum states with the same setup. In contrast to other setups which are capable of preparing multiple modulation schemes [1], [2], the same optical layout and driving electronics can be used, without the need to change the optical layout or adding several additional components. Furthermore, the whole system is designed to compensate for phase drifts which would otherwise affect encoding stability and can be implemented on photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

DOI
10.1109/cleo/europe-eqec65582.2025.11110196

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Here we present a QKD transmitter architecture, which enables the preparation of a fast and stable modulation of coherent light for polarisation, phase or time-bin encoded quantum states with the same setup. In contrast to other setups which are capable of preparing multiple modulation schemes [1], [2], the same optical layout and driving electronics can be used, without the need to change the optical layout or adding several additional components. Furthermore, the whole system is designed to compensate for phase drifts which would otherwise affect encoding stability and can be implemented on photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
In this work, we present a new time-bin phase-encoding quantum key distribution (QKD), where the transmitter utilizes an inherently stable Sagnac-type interferometer, and has comparable electrical requirements to existing polarization or phase encoding schemes. This approach does not require intensity calibration and is insensitive to environmental disturbances, making it both flexible and high-performing. We conducted experiments with a compact QKD system to demonstrate the stability and secure key rate performance of the presented scheme. The results show a typical secure key rate of 6.2 kbps@20 dB and 0.4 kbps@30 dB with channel loss emulated by variable optical attenuators. A continuous test of 120-km fiber spool shows a stable quantum bit error rate of the time-bin basis within 0.4%∼0.6% over a consecutive 9-day period without any adjustment. This intrinsically stable and compatible scheme of time-bin phase encoding is extensively applicable in various QKD experiments, including BB84 and measurement-device-independent QKD.
We report the development of an optical assembly and driving electronics for a low-SWaP polarization encoder design for use in satellite-to-ground quantum communication. The optical design multiplexes multiple lasers, which are selectively excited to produce a polarization encoded output. This implementation is intrinsically stable due to the use of only polarization maintaining fiber in the combining optics. The transmitter, provides a low-cost, low-power and high-speed platform to produce polarization encoded pulses. We use the transmitter to generate 4 polarization states with 2 intensity levels via multiplexing of 8 pulsed light sources. The module can generate the polarization states H, V, D and A, which correspond to polarization angles of 0, 90, 45 and -45 degrees respectively, forming two mutually unbiased bases. The transmitter is characterized via a polarization decoder over a free-space link within a laboratory setting. We characterize the source for varying optical channel loss which is introduced between the transmitter and receiver. The transmitter employs the T12 decoy-state BB84 protocol. We explore the performance of the system with commercially available single photon detectors for two clock rates of 500 MHz and 1 GHz. We find a similar secure key rate for both repetition rates, despite the expected 3 dB gain at 1 GHz. This is a result of detector jitter hindering the performance of the QKD system, resulting in a larger QBER when detection events leak into the adjacent time bins and ultimately reduces the secure key rate.
Time-bin encoding has been widely used for implementing quantum key distribution (QKD) on optical fiber channels. However bachieving stable and low intrinsic Quantum Bit Error rate (QBER) in time-bin systems can be challenging. A key device for decoy-state prepare & measure QKD is represented by the state encoder, that must generate low-error and stable states with different values of mean photon number. Here we propose the MacZac, a time-bin encoder with record-low intrinsic QBER (< 2×10−5) and high stability. The device is based on nested Sagnac and Mach–Zehnder interferometers and uses a single phase modulator for both decoy and state preparation, greatly simplifying the optical setup. The encoder does not require any active compensation or feedback system and it can be scaled for the generation of states with arbitrary dimension. We experimentally realized and tested the device performances as a stand alone component and in a complete QKD experiments . Thanks to the capacity to combine extremely low QBER, high stability and experimental simplicity the proposed device can be used as a key building block for future high-performance, low-cost QKD systems.
Time-bin encoding is a robust method for implementing quantum key distribution (QKD) on optical fiber channels, minimizing drift-induced errors. However, interferometric structures make achieving stable and low intrinsic Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) challenging. A key device for decoy-state QKD is the state encoder, which must produce low-error, stable states with varying photon mean values. Here, we introduce the MacZac ( Mac h- Z ehnder-S a gna c ), a time-bin encoder with ultra-low QBER (<2 × 10 −5 ) and high stability. Based on nested Sagnac and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, it uses a single phase modulator for both decoy and state preparation, simplifying the optical setup. The encoder requires no active compensation and can generate states of arbitrary dimension. We experimentally tested it as a standalone component and in a QKD experiment. With its low QBER, stability, and simplicity, this device is a key building block for high-performance, low-cost QKD systems.
We present a new compact and robust polarization state transmitter designed to execute the BB84 quantum key distribution protocol. Our transmitter prepares polarization states using a single commercial-off-the-shelf phase modulator. Our scheme does not require global biasing to compensate thermal and mechanical drifts, as both of the system's two time-demultiplexed polarization modes share a single optical path. Furthermore, the transmitter's optical path entails a double-pass through the phase modulation device for each polarization mode, allowing multiple phase rotations to be impinged on each light pulse. We present a proof-of-concept prototype of this transmitter topology and demonstrate a mean intrinsic quantum bit error rate below 0.2% over a 5 hour measurement.
A proof-of-principle demonstration of a one-way polarization encoding quantum key distribution (QKD) system is demonstrated. This approach can automatically compensate for birefringence and phase drift. This is achieved by constructing intrinsically stable polarization-modulated units (PMUs) to perform the encoding and decoding, which can be used with four-state protocol, six-state protocol, and the measurement-device-independent (MDI) scheme. A polarization extinction ratio of about 30 dB was maintained for several hours over a 50 km optical fiber without any adjustments to our setup, which evidences its potential for use in practical applications.