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arXiv:quant-ph/0106049 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General

Quantum key distribution using multilevel encoding: security analysis

Mohamed Bourennane, Anders Karlsson, Gunnar G. Bjork, Nicolas Gisin, Nicolas J. Cerf

Published Nov 13, 2002• 64 citations
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Abstract

We propose an extension of quantum key distribution based on encoding the key into quNits, i.e. quantum states in an N -dimensional Hilbert space. We estimate both the mutual information between the legitimate parties and the eavesdropper, and the error rate, as a function of the dimension of the Hilbert space. We derive the information gained by an eavesdropper using optimal incoherent attacks and an upper bound on the legitimate party error rate that ensures unconditional security when the eavesdropper uses finite coherent eavesdropping attacks. We also consider realistic systems where we assume that the detector dark count probability is not negligible.

DOI
10.1088/0305-4470/35/47/307

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We propose an extension of quantum key distribution based on encoding the key into quNits, i.e. quantum states in an N -dimensional Hilbert space. We estimate both the mutual information between the legitimate parties and the eavesdropper, and the error rate, as a function of the dimension of the Hilbert space. We derive the information gained by an eavesdropper using optimal incoherent attacks and an upper bound on the legitimate party error rate that ensures unconditional security when the eavesdropper uses finite coherent eavesdropping attacks. We also consider realistic systems where we assume that the detector dark count probability is not negligible.
We propose an extension of quantum key distribution based on encoding the key into quNits, i.e. quantum states in an N-dimensional Hilbert space. We estimate both the mutual information between the legitimate parties and the eavesdropper, and the error rate, as a function of the dimension of the Hilbert space. We derive the information gained by an eavesdropper using optimal incoherent attacks and an upper bound on the legitimate party error rate that ensures unconditional security when the eavesdropper uses finite coherent eavesdropping attacks. We also consider realistic systems where we assume that the detector dark count probability is not negligible. PACS numbers: 03.67.Dd, 03.67.Hk, 03.67.−a, 03.65.Ta 1.
In this article, protocols for quantum key distribution based on encoding in higher dimensional systems in N-dimensional Hilbert space are proposed. We extend the original Bennett-Brassard protocol using two complementary bases and two-dimensional states to M mutually complementary bases and N orthogonal vectors in each base. We study the mutual information between the legitimate parties and the eavesdropper and the error rate by considering various incoherent eavesdropping attacks as a function of the 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.
We propose an extension of quantum key distribution based on encoding the key into quNits, i.e. quantum states in an N -dimensional Hilbert space. In our protocol, we adopt asymmetric measurement scheme resulting in an efficiency higher than previous protocols and a generalized Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 (2004) 130404] is employed to detect the presence of an eavesdropper Eve. We also derive the information gained by a potential eavesdropper Eve applying a cloning-based attack and the maximal error rate which measures the robustness of the protocol. The result shows that the security of our scheme increases with the dimension N .
We propose an extension of quantum key distribution based on encoding the key into quiNits, i.e. quantum statesin an iv-dimensional Hilbert space. In our protocol, we adopt asymmetric measurement scheme resulting in an efficiency higher than previous protocols and a generalized Bell inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 (2004) 130404] is employed to detect the presence of an eavesdropper Eve. We also derive the information gained by a potential eavesdropper Eve applying a cloning-based attack and the maximal error rate which measures the robustness of the protocol. The result shows that the security of our scheme increases with the dimension N.
Employing the fundamental laws of quantum physics, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) promises the unconditionally secure distribution of cryptographic keys. However, in practical realisations, a QKD protocol is only secure, when the quantum bit error rate introduced by an eavesdropper unavoidably exceeds the system error rate. This condition guarantees that an eavesdropper cannot disguise his presence by simply replacing the original transmission line with a less faulty one. Unfortunately, this condition also limits the possible distance between the communicating parties, Alice and Bob, to a few hundred kilometers. To overcome this problem, we design a QKD protocol which allows Alice and Bob to distinguish system errors from eavesdropping errors. If they are able to identify the origin of their errors, they can detect eavesdropping even when the system error rate exceeds the eavesdropping error rate. To achieve this, the proposed protocol employs an alternative encoding of information in two-dimensional photon states. Errors manifest themselves as quantum bit and as index transmission errors with a distinct correlation between them in case of intercept-resend eavesdropping. As a result, Alice and Bob can tolerate lower eavesdropping and higher system error rates without compromising their privacy.