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Quantum Cryptography in d-dimensional Hilbert spaces

Anita Eusebi

Published Oct 13, 2011• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The topic of this thesis is Quantum Cryptography. Based on the laws of Quantum Mechanics, this allows two parties to share a secure key, by using quantum states to carry classical information. Namely, the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) process, completed with the classical algorithm One Time Pad, leads to an unconditionally secure cryptosystem. Most QKD protocols, like the famous BB84, are realized on unidirectional quantum channels and have probabilistic character. Recently, a new protocol, named LM05, has been proposed, which works on bidirectional quantum channels and in a deterministic way. This thesis is mainly concerned with protocols extending LM05 from binary to d-ary alphabets (dmajor2), by using multi-level quantum systems in d-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The construction of such protocols relies on the notion of Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUB). But the total number of MUB in a Hilbert space of dimension d is known only if d is a prime power. Accordingly, the new protocols are realized under this assumption. As a preliminary step, an explicit expression for MUB encompassing powers of both even and odd primes is discussed. The first proposed extension, called EM09, uses shift operators on MUB to encode information and the usual quantum measurement to realize the control procedure. This guarantees maximal security for dimension d=3 against a powerful individual attack. The second extension, named EM11, is characterized by an innovative control strategy based on a suitable unitary transformation rather than on quantum measurement. Such protocol only works for d an odd prime power, due to the particular choice of the control operator, which is proved to be the only possible with the required properties. The EM11 protocol leads to a relevant improvement. In fact, the security against the same attack is much better than in the EM09 and it increases in terms of the dimension d. Some partial results are also obtained about the possible extensions of the probabilistic protocol called SARG04 to higher dimensions. Finally, it is considered the use of the EM09 and EM11 protocols in the Quantum Direct Communication, where the meaningful message is transmitted without any encryption, as allowed by their deterministic character. In this context, the asymptotic security turns out to be optimal in dimension d=2 for EM09 and in dimension d=3 for EM11.

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The topic of this thesis is Quantum Cryptography. Based on the laws of Quantum Mechanics, this allows two parties to share a secure key, by using quantum states to carry classical information. Namely, the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) process, completed with the classical algorithm One Time Pad, leads to an unconditionally secure cryptosystem. Most QKD protocols, like the famous BB84, are realized on unidirectional quantum channels and have probabilistic character. Recently, a new protocol, named LM05, has been proposed, which works on bidirectional quantum channels and in a deterministic way. This thesis is mainly concerned with protocols extending LM05 from binary to d-ary alphabets (dmajor2), by using multi-level quantum systems in d-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The construction of such protocols relies on the notion of Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUB). But the total number of MUB in a Hilbert space of dimension d is known only if d is a prime power. Accordingly, the new protocols are realized under this assumption. As a preliminary step, an explicit expression for MUB encompassing powers of both even and odd primes is discussed. The first proposed extension, called EM09, uses shift operators on MUB to encode information and the usual quantum measurement to realize the control procedure. This guarantees maximal security for dimension d=3 against a powerful individual attack. The second extension, named EM11, is characterized by an innovative control strategy based on a suitable unitary transformation rather than on quantum measurement. Such protocol only works for d an odd prime power, due to the particular choice of the control operator, which is proved to be the only possible with the required properties. The EM11 protocol leads to a relevant improvement. In fact, the security against the same attack is much better than in the EM09 and it increases in terms of the dimension d. Some partial results are also obtained about the possible extensions of the probabilistic protocol called SARG04 to higher dimensions. Finally, it is considered the use of the EM09 and EM11 protocols in the Quantum Direct Communication, where the meaningful message is transmitted without any encryption, as allowed by their deterministic character. In this context, the asymptotic security turns out to be optimal in dimension d=2 for EM09 and in dimension d=3 for EM11.
In this thesis, Quantum Key Distribution and quantum communication methods based on high-dimensional spatial coding of light are developed. Their security is based on the fundamental quantum nature of light and profits from the highdimensional Hilbert spaces offered intrinsically by imaging optics. An overview of classical information theory and quantum information is given to introduce the field of quantum cryptography. The advantages of larger dimensional alphabets and the security of the standard two-bases BB84 protocol is shown. The spatial states used for encoding are introduced. An analytic expression for the upper bound on the mutual information for these states is derived, including multiphoton states, detector noise and beam broadening. High-dimensional encoding of single photons is experimentally realized, reaching 10.5 bit per received photon. The dependence of the mutual information on the number of detector pixels is discussed and the experimental values are compared with the theoretical upper bound. It was shown that a standard error-correcting LDPC code is sufficient to achieve practically error-free communication. By adding a second mutually unbiased basis, a large-alphabet QKD system is experimentally realized and characterized. The security of this BB84-like protocol is analyzed in terms of intercept-resend and collective attacks. The key rate after postprocessing is analyzed under realistic circumstances, including finite key length. Finally, a new quantum communication method is demonstrated, which is based on encoding information into wavefronts decomposed over guided modes of a multimode fiber. At the end a step back is made and the similarities and differences of several quantum authentication and quantum cryptography schemes as well as Quantum Data Locking are discussed. This involves comparison of the characteristics of the classical channel, the quantum channel and the necessary dimension of the Hilbert space.
We consider two quantum cryptographic schemes relying on encoding the key into qudits, i.e., quantum states in a d-dimensional Hilbert space. The first cryptosystem uses two mutually unbiased bases (thereby extending the BB84 scheme), while the second exploits all d+1 available such bases (extending the six-state protocol for qubits). We derive the information gained by a potential eavesdropper applying a cloning-based individual attack, along with an upper bound on the error rate that ensures unconditional security against coherent attacks.
Works in two way deterministic quantum cryptography protocols using qubits and qutrits have seen the nontrivial generalization of the protocol to accommodate the use of all mutually unbiased bases (MUB). Here we consider the use of qunits (quantum systems of n dimensional Hilbert space) in a similar protocol and working with cases where the number of MUB is n +1 we show that n qunits are necessary to generalize the use of all available MUBs. We also provide a recipe that would allow for encoding with unitary efficiency.
In this thesis we develop practical tools for quantum key distribution (QKD) security proofs. We apply the tools to provide security proofs for several protocols, ranging from discrete variable protocols in high dimensions, protocols with realistic implementations, measurement device independent QKD and continuous-variable QKD. The security proofs are based on the Devetak-Winter security framework [I. Devetak and A. Winter, Proc. of the Roy. Soc. of London Series A, 461, 207 (2005); B. Kraus, N. Gisin, and R. Renner, Phys. Rev. Lett., 95 080501 (2005)]. \n \nIn the key rate calculation, it is often convenient to assume that the optimal attack is symmetric. \nUnder the assumption that the parameter estimation is based on coarse-grained observations, we show that the optimal attack is symmetric, if the protocol and the postselection have sufficient symmetries. \nAs an example we calculate the key rates of protocols using 2, d and d+1 mutually unbiased bases in d-dimensional Hilbert spaces. \n \nWe investigate the connection between the optimal collective eavesdropping attack and the optimal cloning attack, in which the eavesdropper employs an optimal cloner to attack the protocol. \nWe find that, in general, it does not hold that the optimal attack is an optimal cloner. However, there are classes of protocols, for which we can identify the optimal attack by an optimal cloner. \nWe analyze protocols with mutually unbiased bases in d dimensions, and show that for the protocols with 2 and d+1 mutually unbiased bases the optimal attack is an optimal cloner, but for the protocols with d mutually unbiased bases, it is not. \n \nIn optical implementations of the phase-encoded BB84 protocol, the bit information is usually encoded in the phase of two consecutive photon pulses generated in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. In the actual experimental realization, the loss in the arms of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is not balanced, for example because only one arm contains a lossy phase modulator. \nSince the imbalance changes the structure of the signals states and measurements, the BB84 security analysis no longer applies in this scenario. \nWe provide a security proof for the unbalanced phase-encoded BB84. The loss does lower the key rate compared to a protocol without loss. However, for a realistic parameter regime, the same key rate is found by applying the original BB84 security analysis. \n \nRecently, the security of a measurement device-independent QKD setup with BB84 signal states was proven in Refs. [H.-K. Lo, M. Curty, and B. Qi, Phys. Rev. Lett., 108 (2012); S. L. Braunstein and S. Pirandola, Phys. Rev. Lett., 108 (2012)]. In this setup Alice and Bob send quantum states to an intermediate node, which performs the measurement, and is assumed to be controlled by Eve. \nWe analyze the security of a measurement device-independent QKD protocol with B92 signal states, and calculate the key rates numerically for a realistic implementation. \nBased on our security proof we were able to prove the security of the strong reference pulse B92 protocol. \n \nWe analyze the security of continuous-variable protocols using the entropic uncertainty relations established in Ref. [M. Berta, M. Christandl, R. Colbeck, J. M. Renes, and R. Renner, Nature Physics 6, 659 (2010)] to provide an estimate of the key rate based on the observed first and second moments. We analyze a protocol with squeezed coherent states and the 2-state protocol with two coherent states with opposite phases.
The problem of security of quantum key protocols is examined. In addition to the distribution of classical keys, the problem of encrypting quantum data and the structure of the operators which perform quantum encryption is studied. It is found that unitary bases are central to both encryption of quantum information, as well as the generation of states used in generalized quantum key distribution (which are called mutually unbiased bases). A one-to-one correspondence between certain unitary bases and mutually unbiased bases is found. Finally, a new protocol for making anonymous classical broadcasts is given along with a security proof. An experimental procedure to implement this protocol is also given. In order to prove these new results, some new bounds for accessible information of quantum sources are obtained.