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Side-channel attacks currently constitute the main challenge for quantum key distribution (QKD) to bridge theory with practice. So far two main approaches have been introduced to address this problem, (full) device-independent QKD and…

Security proof of practical quantum key distribution (QKD) has attracted a lot of attentions in recent years. Most of real-life QKD implementations are based on phase-coding BB84 protocol, which usually uses Unbalanced Mach-Zehnder…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2010-09-08 Hong-Wei Li , Zhen-Qiang Yin , Zheng-Fu Han , Wan-Su Bao , Guang-Can Guo

Quantum key distribution (QKD) promises information-theoretic security based on quantum mechanics and idealized device models. Practical implementations, however, deviate from these models due to unavoidable device imperfections, and…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-05-14 Álvaro Navarrete , Guillermo Currás-Lorenzo , Margarida Pereira , Marcos Curty

Due to its ability to tolerate high channel loss, decoy-state quantum key distribution (QKD) has been one of the main focuses within the QKD community. Notably, several experimental groups have demonstrated that it is secure and feasible…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2014-02-12 Charles Ci Wen Lim , Marcos Curty , Nino Walenta , Feihu Xu , Hugo Zbinden

The quantum key distribution (QKD), guaranteed by the principle of quantum physics, is a promising solution for future secure information and communication technology. However, device imperfections compromise the security of real-life QKD…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2022-09-14 Ye Chen , Chunfeng Huang , Zihao Chen , Wenjie He , Chengxian Zhang , Shihai Sun , Kejin Wei

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a theoretically secure method for cryptographic key exchange by leveraging quantum mechanics, but practical implementations face vulnerabilities such as Trojan horse attack on phase modulators. This…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-03-03 Aleksei Reutov

Quantum Key Distribution or QKD provides symmetric key distribution using the quantum mechanics/channels with new security properties. The security of QKD relies on the difficulty of the quantum state discrimination problem. We discover…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2021-02-23 Yaroslav Balytskyi , Manohar Raavi , Anatoliy Pinchuk , Sang-Yoon Chang

Unconditional security proofs of various quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols are built on idealized assumptions. One key assumption is: the sender (Alice) can prepare the required quantum states without errors. However, such an…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2015-03-17 Feihu Xu , Bing Qi , Hoi-Kwong Lo

We review the current status of security proofs for practical decoy-state Quantum Key Distribution using the BB84 protocol, focusing on optical implementations with weak coherent pulses and threshold photodetectors. The primary aim of this…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-05-19 Devashish Tupkary , Ernest Y. -Z. Tan , Shlok Nahar , Lars Kamin , Norbert Lütkenhaus

The Quantum Key Distribution protocol can encode a single quantum state and implements an information-theoretically secure key distribution protocol in communication. In the actual QKD experimental system, there are usually two encoding…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-08-26 Gao Feifei , Li Zhihui , Liu Chengji , Han Duo

A novel protocol - measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) - removes all attacks from the detection system, the most vulnerable part in QKD implementations. In this paper, we present an analysis for practical…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2013-11-14 Feihu Xu , Marcos Curty , Bing Qi , Hoi-Kwong Lo

In practical quantum key distribution (QKD) system, the state preparation and measurement are imperfect comparing with the ideal BB84 protocol, which are always state-dependent in practical realizations. If the state-dependent imperfections…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2011-12-21 Hong-Wei Li , Zhen-Qiang Yin , Zheng-Fu Han , Wan-Su Bao , Guang-Can Guo

In this paper we propose a practical quantum key distribution protocol based on geometrically uniform states and a standard decoy state technique. The protocol extends the ideas used in SARG04 to the limit where the core quantum…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-11-01 Konstantin S. Kravtsov , Sergei N. Molotkov

Quantum key distribution (QKD) based on the laws of quantum physics allows the secure distribution of secret keys over an insecure channel. Unfortunately, imperfect implementations of QKD compromise its information-theoretical security.…

We present a rigorous and complete security proof of the decoy-state BB84 quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol. Our analysis aims to achieve a high standard of mathematical rigour and completeness, thereby providing the necessary…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-01-27 Devashish Tupkary , Shlok Nahar , Amir Arqand , Ernest Y. -Z. Tan , Norbert Lütkenhaus

Quantum key distribution establishes a secret string of bits between two distant parties. Of concern in weak laser pulse schemes is the especially strong photon number splitting attack by an eavesdropper, but the decoy state method can…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 Jim W. Harrington , J. Mark Ettinger , Richard J. Hughes , Jane E. Nordholt

The security of a standard bi-directional "plug & play" quantum key distribution (QKD) system has been an open question for a long time. This is mainly because its source is equivalently controlled by an eavesdropper, which means the source…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2009-11-13 Yi Zhao , Bing Qi , Hoi-Kwong Lo

Quantum key distribution (QKD) based on coherent states is well known for its implementation simplicity, but it suffers from loss-dependent attacks based on optimal unambiguous state discrimination. Crucially, previous research has…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-05 Li Liu , Yukun Wang , Emilien Lavie , Arno Ricou , Chao Wang , Fen Zhuo Guo , Charles Ci Wen Lim

BB84-based quantum key distribution system is limited in high speed and chip integration due to the requirement of four states preparation and measurement. Recently, the simplified BB84 protocol with only three states preparation and…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-19 Hua-Lei Yin , Zeng-Bing Chen

The decoy-state method in quantum key distribution (QKD) is a popular technique to approximately achieve the performance of ideal single-photon sources by means of simpler and practical laser sources. In high-speed decoy-state QKD systems,…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-04-01 Víctor Zapatero , Álvaro Navarrete , Kiyoshi Tamaki , Marcos Curty