We discuss quantum key distribution protocols using quantum continuous variables. We show that such protocols can be made secure against individual gaussian attacks regardless the transmission of the optical line between Alice and Bob. This is achieved by reversing the reconciliation procedure subsequent to the quantum transmission, that is, using Bob's instead of Alice's data to build the key. Although squeezing or entanglement may be helpful to improve the resistance to noise, they are not required for the protocols to remain secure with high losses. Therefore, these protocols can be implemented very simply by transmitting coherent states and performing homodyne detection. Here, we show that entanglement nevertheless plays a crucial role in the security analysis of coherent state protocols. Every cryptographic protocol based on displaced gaussian states turns out to be equivalent to an entanglement-based protocol, even though no entanglement is actually present. This equivalence even holds in the absence of squeezing, for coherent state protocols. This ``virtual'' entanglement is important to assess the security of these protocols as it provides an upper bound on the mutual information between Alice and Bob if they had used entanglement. The resulting security criteria are compared to the separability criterion for bipartite gaussian variables. It appears that the security thresholds are well within the entanglement region. This supports the idea that coherent state quantum cryptography may be unconditionally secure.
We introduce new quantum key distribution protocols using quantum continuous variables, that are secure against individual attacks for any transmission of the optical line between Alice and Bob. In particular, it is not required that this transmission is larger than 50 %. Though squeezing or entanglement may be helpful, they are not required, and there is no need for quantum memories or entanglement purification. These protocols can thus be implemented using coherent states and homodyne detection, and they may be more efficient than usual protocols using quantum discrete variables.
We consider the two-way quantum cryptographic protocol with coherent states assuming direct reconciliation. A detailed security analysis is performed considering a two-mode coherent attack, that represents the residual eavesdropping once the parties have reduced the general attack by applying symmetric random permutations. In this context we provide a general analytical expression for the keyrate, discussing the impact of the residual two-mode correlations on the security of the scheme. In particular we identify the optimal eavesdropping against two-way quantum communication, which is given by…
We investigate the performance of continuous variable quantum key distribution scheme in a practical setting. More specifically, we take non-ideal error reconciliation procedure into account. The quantum channel connecting the two honest parties is assumed to be lossy but noiseless. Secret key rates are given for the case that the measurement outcomes are postselected or a reverse reconciliation scheme is applied. The reverse reconciliation scheme loses its initial advantage in the practical setting. If one combines postselection with reverse reconciliation however, much of this advantage can …
We describe a new error reconciliation protocol {\it Winnow} based on the exchange of parity and Hamming's ``syndrome'' for $N-$bit subunits of a large data set. {\it Winnow} was developed in the context of quantum key distribution and offers significant advantages and net higher efficiency compared to other widely used protocols within the quantum cryptography community. A detailed mathematical analysis of Winnow is presented in the context of practical implementations of quantum key distribution; in particular, the information overhead required for secure implementation is one of the most im…
We analyze the security of the two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol in reverse reconciliation against general two-mode attacks, which represent all accessible attacks at fixed channel parameters. Rather than against one specific attack model, the expression of secret key rates of the two-way protocol are derived against all accessible attack models. It is found that there is an optimal two-mode attack to minimize the performance of the protocol in terms of both secret key rates and maximal transmission distances. We identify the optimal two-mode attack, give the specif…
We expand the recently discussed continuous-variable quantum key distribution scheme of Heid and Luetkenhaus (2006) to qudits with a lossy but noiseless quantum channel. Postselection methods are used. Secret key rates are calculated in the presence of loss for the direct and the reverse reconciliation method. In the case of reverse reconciliation the secret key rate increases with higher dimensions, in the case of direct reconciliation the result is reverse. Several ways of optimising the amplitude are discussed. In a next step the used states are generalised to squeezed states. Again secret …
Quantum Cryptography is on the verge of commercial application. One of its greatest limitations is over long distance - secret key rates are low and the longest fibre over which any key has been exchanged is currently 100 km. We investigate the quantum relay, which can increase the maximum distance at which quantum cryptography is possible. The relay splits the channel into sections, and sends a different photon across each section, increasing the signal to noise ratio. The photons are linked as in teleportation, with entangled photon pairs and Bell measurements. We show that such a scheme cou…
It is widely accepted in the quantum cryptography community that interactive information reconciliation protocols, such as cascade, are ineffcient due to the communication overhead. Instead, non-interactive information reconciliation protocols based on i.e. LDPC codes or, more recently, polar codes have been proposed. In this work, we argue that interactive protocols should be taken into consideration in modern quantum key distribution systems. In particular, we demonstrate how to improve the performance of cascade by proper implementation and use. Our implementation of cascade reaches a throu…
Privacy amplification is the key step to guarantee the security of quantum communication. The existing security proofs require accumulating a large number of raw key bits for privacy amplification. This is similar to block ciphers in classical cryptography that would delay the final key generation since an entire block must be accumulated before privacy amplification. Moreover, any leftover errors after information reconciliation would corrupt the entire block. By modifying the security proof based on quantum error correction, we develop a stream privacy amplification scheme, which resembles t…
We present a continuous variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme based on the CV quantum teleportation of coherent states that yields a raw secret key made up of discrete variables for both Alice and Bob. This protocol preserves the efficient detection schemes of current CV technology (no single-photon detection techniques) and, at the same time, has efficient error correction and privacy amplification schemes due to the binary modulation of the key. We show that for a certain type of incoherent attack it is secure for almost any value of the transmittance of the optical line used b…
We study the security of two-way quantum cryptography at different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, from the optical range down to the microwave range. In particular, we consider a two-way quantum communication protocol where Gaussian-modulated thermal states are subject to random Gaussian displacements and finally homodyned. We show how its security threshold (in reverse reconciliation) is extremely robust with respect to the preparation noise and able to outperform the security thresholds of one-way protocols at any wavelength. As a result, improved security distances are now acc…
We analyze the security of quantum cryptography schemes for $d$-level systems using 2 or $d+1$ maximally conjugated bases, under individual eavesdropping attacks based on cloning machines and measurement after the basis reconciliation. We consider classical advantage distillation protocols, that allow to extract a key even in situations where the mutual information between the honest parties is smaller than the eavesdropper's information. In this scenario, advantage distillation protocols are shown to be as powerful as quantum distillation: key distillation is possible using classical techniqu…
A quantum cryptographic protocol based in public key cryptography combinations and private key cryptography is presented. Unlike the BB84 protocol [1] and its many variants [2,3] two quantum channels are used. The present research does not make reconciliation mechanisms of information to derive the key. A three related system of key distribution are described.
Recently, we have shown the advantages of two-way quantum communications in continuous variable quantum cryptography. Thanks to this new approach, two honest users can achieve a non-trivial security enhancement as long as the Gaussian interactions of an eavesdropper are independent and identical. In this work, we consider asymmetric strategies where the Gaussian interactions can be different and classically correlated. For several attacks of this kind, we prove that the enhancement of security still holds when the two-way protocols are used in direct reconciliation.
The speed at which two remote parties can exchange secret keys over a fixed-length fiber-optic cable in continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) is currently limited by the computational complexity of post-processing algorithms for key reconciliation. Multi-edge low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes with low code rates and long block lengths were proposed for CV-QKD, in order to extend the maximum reconciliation distance between the two remote parties. Key reconciliation over multiple dimensions has been shown to further improve the error-correction performance of multi-edge LDPC …
We investigate the security against collective attacks of a continuous variable quantum key distribution scheme in the asymptotic key limit for a realistic setting. The quantum channel connecting the two honest parties is assumed to be lossy and imposes Gaussian noise on the observed quadrature distributions. Secret key rates are given for direct and reverse reconciliation schemes including postselection in the collective attack scenario. The effect of a non-ideal error correction and two-way communication in the classical post-processing step is also taken into account.
The security of quantum key distribution protocols is guaranteed by the laws of quantum mechanics. However, a precise analysis of the security properties requires tools from both classical cryptography and information theory. Here, we employ recent results in non-asymptotic classical information theory to show that one-way information reconciliation imposes fundamental limitations on the amount of secret key that can be extracted in the finite key regime. In particular, we find that an often used approximation for the information leakage during information reconciliation is not generally valid…
We address the role of the phase-insensitive trusted preparation and detection noise in the security of a continuous-variable quantum key distribution, considering the Gaussian protocols on the basis of coherent and squeezed states and studying them in the conditions of Gaussian lossy and noisy channels. The influence of such a noise on the security of Gaussian quantum cryptography can be crucial, even despite the fact that a noise is trusted, due to a strongly nonlinear behavior of the quantum entropies involved in the security analysis. We recapitulate the known effect of the preparation noi…
We consider two remote parties connected to a relay by two quantum channels. To generate a secret key, they transmit coherent states to the relay, where the states are subject to a continuous-variable (CV) Bell detection. We study the ideal case where Alice's channel is lossless, i.e., the relay is locally situated in her lab and the Bell detection is performed with unit efficiency. This configuration allows us to explore the optimal performances achievable by CV measurement-device-independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD). This corresponds to the limit of a trusted local relay, where t…
A practical quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol necessarily runs in finite time and, hence, only a finite amount of communication is exchanged. This is in contrast to most of the standard results on the security of QKD, which only hold in the limit where the number of transmitted signals approaches infinity. Here, we analyze the security of QKD under the realistic assumption that the amount of communication is finite. At the level of the general formalism, we present new results that help simplifying the actual implementation of QKD protocols: in particular, we show that symmetrization ste…
A well-known empirical rule for the demand of wireless communication systems is that of Edholm's law of bandwidth. It states that the demand for bandwidth in wireless short-range communications doubles every 18 months. With the growing demand for bandwidth and the decreasing cell size of wireless systems, terahertz (THz) communication systems are expected to become increasingly important in modern day applications. With this expectation comes the need for protecting users' privacy and security in the best way possible. With that in mind, we show that quantum key distribution can operate in the…
Cascade is an information reconciliation protocol proposed in the context of secret key agreement in quantum cryptography. This protocol allows removing discrepancies in two partially correlated sequences that belong to distant parties, connected through a public noiseless channel. It is highly interactive, thus requiring a large number of channel communications between the parties to proceed and, although its efficiency is not optimal, it has become the de-facto standard for practical implementations of information reconciliation in quantum key distribution. The aim of this work is to analyze…
We have designed and realized a prototype that implements a continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol based on coherent states and reverse reconciliation. The system uses time and polarization multiplexing for optimal transmission and detection of the signal and phase reference, and employs sophisticated error-correction codes for reconciliation. The security of the system is guaranteed against general coherent eavesdropping attacks. The performance of the prototype was tested over preinstalled optical fibres as part of a quantum cryptography network combining different quantum key…
BBN, Harvard, and Boston University are building the DARPA Quantum Network, the world's first network that delivers end-to-end network security via high-speed Quantum Key Distribution, and testing that Network against sophisticated eavesdropping attacks. The first network link has been up and steadily operational in our laboratory since December 2002. It provides a Virtual Private Network between private enclaves, with user traffic protected by a weak-coherent implementation of quantum cryptography. This prototype is suitable for deployment in metro-size areas via standard telecom (dark) fiber…
We extend the security proof for continuous variable quantum key distribution protocols using post selection to account for arbitrary eavesdropping attacks by employing the concept of an equivalent protocol where the post-selection is implemented as a series of quantum operations including a virtual distillation. We introduce a particular `Gaussian' post selection and demonstrate that the security can be calculated using only experimentally accessible quantities. Finally we explicitly evaluate the performance for the case of a noisy Gaussian channel in the limit of unbounded key length and fin…
Photon subtraction can enhance the performance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV QKD). However, the enhancement effect will be reduced by the imperfections of practical devices, especially the limited efficiency of a single-photon detector. In this paper, we propose a non-Gaussian postselection method to emulate the photon substraction used in coherent-state CV QKD protocols. The virtual photon subtraction not only can avoid the complexity and imperfections of a practical photon-subtraction operation, which extends the secure transmission distance as the ideal case does, but …
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a cryptographic system that generates an information-theoretically secure key shared by two legitimate parties. QKD consists of two parts: quantum and classical. The latter is referred to as classical post-processing (CPP). Information reconciliation is a part of CPP in which parties are given correlated variables and attempt to eliminate the discrepancies between them while disclosing a minimum amount of information. The elegant reconciliation protocol known as \emph{Cascade} was developed specifically for QKD in 1992 and has become the de-facto standard for …
It has been proven in the literature that the main technological factors limiting the communication rates of quantum cryptography systems by single photon are mainly related to the choice of the encoding method. In fact, the efficiency of the used sources is very limited, at best of the order of a few percent for the single photon sources and the photon counters can not be operated beyond a certain speed and with a low order of detection efficiency. In order to overcome partially these drawbacks, it is advantageous to use continuous quantum states as an alternative to standard encodings based …
We introduce the concept of a superlinear threshold detector, a detector that has a higher probability to detect multiple photons if it receives them simultaneously rather than at separate times. Highly superlinear threshold detectors in quantum key distribution systems allow eavesdropping the full secret key without being revealed. Here, we generalize the detector control attack, and analyze how it performs against quantum key distribution systems with moderately superlinear detectors. We quantify the superlinearity in superconducting single-photon detectors based on earlier published data, a…
Virtual Lab by Quantum Flytrap explores novel ways to represent quantum phenomena interactively and intuitively. It is a no-code online laboratory with a real-time simulation of an optical table, supporting up to three entangled photons. Users can place typical optical elements (such as beam splitters, polarizers, Faraday rotators, and detectors) with a drag-and-drop graphical interface. Virtual Lab operates in two modes. The sandbox mode allows users to compose arbitrary setups. Quantum Game serves as an introduction to Virtual Lab features, approachable for users with no prior exposure to qu…
The problem of sharing entanglement over large distances is crucial for implementations of quantum cryptography. A possible scheme for long-distance entanglement sharing and quantum communication exploits networks whose nodes share Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pairs. In Perseguers et al. [Phys. Rev. A 78, 062324 (2008)] the authors put forward an important isomorphism between storing quantum information in a dimension $D$ and transmission of quantum information in a $D+1$-dimensional network. We show that it is possible to obtain long-distance entanglement in a noisy two-dimensional (2D) netw…
Generalized Rényi entropy accumulation theorem and generalized quantum probability estimation
Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo（滑铁卢大学量子计算研究所和物理与天文学系）；The Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Department of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science（魏茨曼科学研究所复杂系统系量子科学与技术中心）
