In this study, we demonstrate the possibility to protect, with Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a critical infrastructure as the fiber-based one used for time and frequency (TF) dissemination service. The proposed technique allows to disseminate secure and precise TF signals between two fiber-opticconnected locations, on a critical infrastructure, using both QKD and White Rabbit technique. This secure exchange allows the secret sharing of time information between two parties for the synchronization of distant clocks with the highest stability and traceable to the Italian time scale. When encrypted, time signals would reveal to a third party no useful information about the synchronization status, providing a time stability two orders of magnitude worsened.
@article{arxiv.2412.17731,
title = {QKD protected fiber-based infrastructure for time dissemination},
author = {Alice Meda and Alberto Mura and Salvatore Virzì and Alessio Avella and Filippo Levi and Ivo P. Degiovanni and Andrea Geraldi and Mauro Valeri and Silvia Di Bartolo and Tommaso Catuogno and Mattia Verducci and Marco Genovese and Davide Calonico},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2412.17731},
year = {2025}
}