Practical Scheme To Share A Secret Key Through An Up To 27.6% Bit Error Rate Quantum Channel

Abstract

A secret key shared through quantum key distribution between two cooperative players is secure against any eavesdropping attack allowed by the laws of physics. Yet, such a key can be established only when the quantum channel error rate due to eavesdropping or imperfect apparatus is low. Here, I report a practical quantum key distribution scheme making use of an adaptive privacy amplification procedure with two-way classical communication. Then, I prove that the scheme generates a secret key whenever the bit error rate of the quantum channel is less than $0.5-0.1\sqrt{5}\approx 27.6$, thereby making it the most error resistant scheme known to date.

4 pages, with a new analytical result, to appear in PRA