Work

Experimental 4-intensity decoy-state quantum key distribution with asymmetric basis-detector efficiency

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: The decoy-state method has been developed rapidly in quantum key distribution (QKD) since it is immune to photon-number splitting attacks. We examine two-basis-detector-efficiency asymmetry, which exists in realistic scenarios. By using the recent 4-intensity decoy-state optimization protocol, we report an implementation of high-rate QKD with asymmetric basis-detector efficiency, demonstrating a 1.9 to 33.2 times higher key rate than previous protocols in the situation of large basis-detector-efficiency asymmetry. The results ruled out an implicit assumption in QKD that the efficiency of $Z$ basis and $X$ basis are restricted to be the same. This work paves the way towards a morepractical QKD setting.

Source: Physical Review A

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.100.042313