Security of quantum key exchange depends on successfully detecting the presence of an eavesdropper. In most cases this is done by comparing the errors introduced by an eavesdropper with the channel error rate. In other words, the communicating parties must tolerate some errors without losing a significant amount of key information. In this paper, we characterize the effects of amplitude damping...

Quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols make it possible for two quantum parties to generate a secret shared key. Semiquantum key distribution (SQKD) protocols, such as “QKD with classical Bob” and “QKD with classical Alice” (that have both been proven robust), achieve this goal even if one of the parties is classical. However, existing SQKD protocols are not experimentally feasible with curre...

Despite the unconditionally secure theory of the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), several attacks have been successfully implemented against commercial QKD systems. Those systems have exhibited some flaws, as the secret key rate of corresponding protocols remains unaltered, while the eavesdropper obtains the entire secret key. We propose the negative acknowledgment state quantum key distribution...

We propose a quantum key distribution scheme which closely matches the performance of a perfect single photon source. It nearly attains the physical upper bound in terms of key generation rate and maximally achievable distance. Our scheme relies on a practical setup based on a parametric downconversion source and present day, nonideal photon-number detection. Arbitrary experimental imperfection...

This study points out that a malicious communicant in Hwang et al.’s probabilistic quantum key distribution (PQKD) protocol can manipulate the secret key without being detected by using the unitary operation attack. Accordingly, the security requirements of a PQKD protocol, i.e., unpredictability and fairness, cannot be satisfied in their protocol. A possible solution is also provided to solve ...

We study quantum key distribution with standard weak coherent states and show, rather counter-intuitively, that the detection events originated from vacua can contribute to secure key generation rate, over and above the best prior art result. Our proof is based on a communication complexity/quantum memory argument.

We define an iterative error-minimizing secret key adapting method for multicarrier CVQKD. A multicarrier CVQKD protocol uses Gaussian subcarrier quantum continuous variables (CVs) for the transmission. The proposed method allows for the parties to reach a given target secret key rate with minimized error rate through the Gaussian subchannels by a sub-channel adaption procedure. The adaption al...

Experimental weak + vacuum protocol has been demonstrated using commercial QKD system based on a standard bi-directional ‘Plug & Play’ set-up. By making simple modifications to a commercial quantum key distribution system, decoy state QKD allows us to achieve much better performance than QKD system without decoy state in terms of key generation rate and distance. We demonstrate an unconditional...

Dutta and Mukhopadhyay have recently proposed some very efficient selfhealing key distribution schemes with revocation. The parameters of these schemes contradict some results (lower bounds) presented by Blundo et al. In this paper different attacks against the schemes of Dutta and Mukhopadhyay are explained: one of them can be easily avoided with a slight modification in the schemes, but the o...