Clock offset recovery with sublinear complexity enables synchronization on low-level hardware for quantum key distribution
arXiv:2404.04081 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.044015
Abstract
We introduce iQSync, a clock offset recovery method designed for implementation on low-level hardware, such as FPGAs or microcontrollers, for quantum key distribution (QKD). iQSync requires minimal memory, only a simple instruction set (e.g. no floating-point operations), and can be evaluated with sublinear time complexity, typically involving no more than a few thousand iterations of a simple loop. Furthermore, iQSync allows for a precise clock offset recovery within few seconds, even for large offsets, and is well suited for scenarios with high channel loss and low signal-to-noise ratio, irrespective of the prepare-and-measure QKD protocol used. We implemented the method on our QKD platform, demonstrating its performance and conformity with analytically derived success probabilities for channel attenuations exceeding 70 dB.
arXiv comment10 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Example Python implementation and full link simulation in Ancillary Files
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