International Conference on Quantum Communications, Networking, and Computing (QCNC)
Quantum Key Distribution Using Entangled Pairs with Random Grouping
Archana Jayprakash Singh, Zouheir Rezki, Zain Ali, Hamid R. Sadjadpour
Abstract
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) allows two legitimate parties to establish a secret key with informationtheoretic security. However, existing protocols have a very low noise tolerance, limiting their deployment in practical quantum channels with finite resources. We propose a novel QKD protocol based on entanglement swapping that achieves higher noise tolerance and improved key rates. In the proposed protocol, a six-bit symbol is encoded in a six-qubit state formed by randomly grouping the state into three pairs to form three Bell states. The proposed protocol maintains a positive secrecy rate for eavesdropper interception probabilities approaching 100 % under the intercept-and-resend attack model, significantly outperforming existing protocols in the literature.