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arXiv:quant-ph/0610134 · Physical Review A

Practical decoy-state method in quantum key distribution with a heralded single-photon source

Qin Wang, Xiang‐Bin Wang, Guang‐Can Guo

Published Jan 11, 2007• 100 citations
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Abstract

We propose a practical decoy-state method with heralded single-photon source for quantum key distribution (QKD). In the protocol, three intensities are used and one can estimate the fraction of single-photon counts. The final key rate over transmission distance is simulated under various parameter sets. Due to the lower dark count than that of a coherent state, it is shown that a three-intensity decoy-state QKD with a heralded source can work for a longer distance than that of a coherent state.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.75.012312

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We propose a practical decoy-state method with heralded single-photon source for quantum key distribution (QKD). In the protocol, three intensities are used and one can estimate the fraction of single-photon counts. The final key rate over transmission distance is simulated under various parameter sets. Due to the lower dark count than that of a coherent state, it is shown that a three-intensity decoy-state QKD with a heralded source can work for a longer distance than that of a coherent state.
Recently the performance of the quantum key distribution (QKD) is substantially improved by the decoy state method and the non-orthogonal encoding protocol, separately. In this paper, a practical non-orthogonal decoy state protocol with a heralded single photon source (HSPS) for QKD is presented. The protocol is based on 4 states with different intensities, i.e. one signal state and three decoy states. The signal state is for generating keys; the decoy states are for detecting the eavesdropping and estimating the fraction of single-photon and two-photon pulses. We have discussed three cases of this protocol, i.e. the general case, the optimal case and the special case. Moreover, the final key rate over transmission distance is simulated. For the low dark count of the HSPS and the utilization of the two-photon pulses, our protocol has a higher key rate and a longer transmission distance than any other decoy state protocol.
We present a scheme for the practical decoy-state quantum key distribution with heralded single-photon source. In this scheme, only two-intensity decoy states are employed. However, its performance can approach the asymptotic case of using infinite decoy states. We compare it with the standard three-intensity decoy-state method, and through numerical simulations, we demonstrate its significant improvement over the three-intensity method in both the final key rate and the secure transmission distance. Furthermore, when taking statistical fluctuations into account, a very high key generation rate can still be obtained even at a long transmission distance.
Encoding system plays a significant role in quantum key distribution (QKD). However, the security and performance of QKD systems can be compromised by encoding misalignment due to the inevitable defects in realistic devices. To alleviate the influence of misalignments, a method exploiting statistics from mismatched basis is proposed to enable uncharacterized sources to generate secure keys in QKD. In this work, we propose a scheme on four-intensity decoy-state quantum key distribution with uncharacterized heralded single-photon sources. It only requires the source states are prepared in a two-dimensional Hilbert space, and can thus reduce the complexity of practical realizations. Moreover, we carry out corresponding numerical simulations and demonstrate that our present four-intensity decoy-state scheme can achieve a much higher key rate compared than a three-intensity decoy-state method, and meantime it can obtain a longer transmission distance compared than the one using weak coherent sources.
Quantum key generation rate of decoy state quantum key distribution(QKD) with a heralded single-photon source(HSPS) is deduced.Relationship between quantum key generation rate and detection efficiency of sender is discussed.Optimal intensities and key generation rate of decoy state QKD with a weak coherent pulse(WCP) and an HSPS are analyzed.It shows that key generation rate increases with increase of detection efficiency of sender and its security distance is the same as with a perfect single photon source.Decoy state QKD increases security distance and key rate of QKD.Due to less dark counts QKD with HSPS works longer distance than WCP.
Recently a long distance and high key rate quantum key distribution (QKD) has become possible by the idea of the decoy state method. We show that a longer distance QKD is possible by utilizing a heralded single photon source (utilizing spontaneous parametric down-conversion) as a source instead of a weak coherent pulse (WCP) as proposed in the original decoy state method. Moreover, the key rate is improved by utilizing a presently available photon number resolving detector as a trigger detector of the heralded single photon source and it is shown to approach the key rate of the WCP.