Decoy State Quantum Key Distribution With More Than Three Types Of Photon Intensity Pulses

Abstract

Decoy state method closes source security loophole in quantum key distribution (QKD) using laser source. In this method, accurate estimates of the detection rates of vacuum and single photon events plus the error rate of single photon events are needed to give a good enough lower bound of the secret key rate. Nonetheless, the current estimation method for these detection and error rates, which uses three types of photon intensities, is accurate up to about 1% relative error. Here I report an experimentally feasible way that greatly improves these estimates and hence increases the one-way key rate of the BB84 QKD protocol with unbiased bases selection by at least 20% on average in realistic settings. The major tricks are the use of more than three types of photon intensities plus the fact that estimating bounds of the above detection and error rates is numerically stable although these bounds are related to the inversion of a high condition number matrix.

Extensively revised and corrected. Main conclusions stay. 6 pages with 1 long table. Accepted by PRA Rapid Communication

References in corpus (5)

• Satellite-to-ground quantum key distribution
• General theory for decoy-state quantum key distribution with arbitrary number of intensities
• Proof-of-principle experimental realization of a qubit-like qudit-based quantum key distribution scheme
• Finite-key security analysis for multilevel quantum key distribution
• Practical high-dimensional quantum key distribution with decoy states

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• Reference-Frame-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Using Fewer States
• Zigzag approach to higher key rate of sending-or-not-sending twin field quantum key distribution with finite key effects
• Experimental 4-intensity decoy-state quantum key distribution with asymmetric basis detector efficiency
• Application of an Improved Version of McDiarmid Inequality in Finite-Key-Length Decoy-State Quantum Key Distribution
• Security Of Finite-Key-Length Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Using Arbitrary Number Of Decoys
• Adaptive Techniques in Practical Quantum Key Distribution
• Security proofs for practical QKD: variations, techniques, gaps, and limitations