Field test of mode-pairing quantum key distribution

Abstract

Quantum key distribution is a cornerstone of quantum technology, offering information-theoretical secure keys for remote parties. With many quantum communication networks established globally, the mode-pairing protocol stands out for its efficacy over inter-city distances using simple setups, emerging as a promising solution. In this study, we employ the mode-pairing scheme into existing inter-city fiber links, conducting field tests across distances ranging from tens to about a hundred kilometers. Our system achieves a key rate of $1.217$ kbit/s in a $195.85$ km symmetric link and $3.089$ kbit/s in a $127.92$ km asymmetric link without global phase locking. The results demonstrate that the mode-pairing protocol can achieve key rates comparable to those of a single quantum link between two trusted nodes on the Beijing-Shanghai backbone line, effectively reducing the need for half of the trusted nodes. These field tests confirm the mode-pairing scheme's adaptability, efficiency, and practicality, positioning it as a highly suitable protocol for quantum networks.

15 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables

References in corpus (29)

• Decoy State Quantum Key Distribution
• Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution
• Quantum Key Distribution with High Loss: Toward Global Secure Communication
• Beating the PNS attack in practical quantum cryptography
• General Benchmarks for Quantum Repeaters
• Fundamental Limits of Repeaterless Quantum Communications
• Overcoming the rate-distance barrier of quantum key distribution without using quantum repeaters
• Satellite-relayed intercontinental quantum network
• Fundamental rate-loss tradeoff for optical quantum key distribution
• Experimental measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution
• Sending-or-Not-Sending with Independent Lasers: Secure Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution Over 509 km
• Experimental Demonstration of Polarization Encoding Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution
• Experimental quantum key distribution beyond the repeaterless secret key capacity
• Breaking the Rate-Loss Bound of Quantum Key Distribution with Asynchronous Two-Photon Interference
• Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution over 511 km Optical Fiber Linking two Distant Metropolitans
• Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution over untrustful metropolitan network
• Phase-Matching Quantum Key Distribution
• Surpassing the rate-transmittance linear bound of quantum key distribution
• Quantum key distribution surpassing the repeaterless rate-transmittance bound without global phase locking
• Simple security analysis of phase-matching measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution
• Improved key rate bounds for practical decoy-state quantum key distribution systems
• Experimental Quantum Communication Overcomes the Rate-loss Limit without Global Phase Tracking
• Field Test of Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution through Sending-or-Not-Sending over 428 km
• Experimental mode-pairing measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution without global phase-locking
• Twin-field quantum key distribution without phase locking
• Quantum Network: Security Assessment and Key Management
• Symmetry-protected privacy: beating the rate-distance linear bound over a noisy channel
• Recent advances on quantum key distribution overcoming the linear secret key capacity bound
• Polar Codes-based Information Reconciliation Scheme with Frozen Bits Erasure Strategy for Quantum Key Distribution

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Repeater-like asynchronous measurement-device-independent quantum conference key agreement
• Towards Global Quantum Key Distribution
• Advantage Distillation for Quantum Key Distribution
• Entanglement Model for Mode-Pairing Quantum Key Distribution
• Experimental Phase-Matching Quantum Cryptographic Conferencing in Symmetric and Asymmetric Fiber Channels
• Security Analysis of Mode-Pairing Quantum Key Distribution with Flexible Pairing Strategy