Efficient Time-Bin Encoding for Practical High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution

Year: 2020

Authors: Vagniluca I., Da Lio B., Rusca D., Cozzolino D., Ding YH., Zbinden H., Zavatta A., Oxenlowe LK., Bacco D.

Autors Affiliation: CNR, Ist Nazl Ott INO, Largo E Fermi 6, I-50125 Florence, Italy; Univ Naples Federico II, Dept Phys Ettore Pancini, Via Cinthia 21, I-80126 Naples, Italy; Tech Univ Denmark, DTU Foton, CoE SPOC, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark;‎ Univ Geneva, Grp Appl Phys, Chemin Pinchat 22, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland;‎ Univ Florence, LENS, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;‎ Univ Florence, Dept Phys, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

Abstract: High-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) allows achievement of information-theoretic secure communications, providing high key-generation rates, which cannot, in principle, be obtained by QKD protocols with binary encoding. Nonetheless, the amount of experimental resources needed increases as the quantum states to be detected belong to a larger Hilbert space, thus raising the costs of practical high-dimensional systems. Here, we present an alternative scheme for fiber-based four-dimensional QKD, with time and phase encoding and one-decoy state technique. Quantum state transmission is tested over different channel lengths up to 145 km of standard single-mode fiber, evaluating the enhancement of the secret key rate in comparison to the three-state two-dimensional BB84 protocol, which is tested with the same experimental setup. Our scheme allows measurement of the four-dimensional states with a simplified and compact receiver, where only two single-photon detectors are necessary, thus making it a cost-effective solution for practical and fiber-based QKD.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED

Volume: 14 (1)      Pages from: 014051-1  to: 014051-8

More Information: This work is supported by the Center of Excellence, SPOC -Silicon Photonics for Optical Communications (Ref. DNRF123), by the EraNET Cofund Initiatives QuantERA within the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program Grant Agreement No. 731473 (project SQUARE), by the NATO Science for Peace and Security program under Grant No. G5485 and by the European Union´s Horizon 2020 program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie project QCALL (GA 675662).
KeyWords: quantum key distribution
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.14.014051

Citations: 42
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