Group key agreement over free-space optical links

Abstract

Free-space optical (FSO) communications can offer secure connectivity thanks to the high directionality of the laser beam and the line-of-sight configuration. These security advantages are employed to realize high-speed key establishment between two distant parties, which is provably secure against an eavesdropper with unlimited computational resources. Besides, a well-maintained laser beam divergence allows group key agreement (GKA) among multiple parties. Here, we propose a novel method of GKA over FSO link—FSO-GKA. After numerically characterizing fundamental behaviors, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of FSO-GKA using a 7.8-km terrestrial link. We achieve a group key rate of roughly 8 Mbps over a 58dB-loss channel based on 10-MHz on-off keying. We also investigate information leakage risks under several atmospheric conditions, which provides the basis for security certification of FSO-GKA. Our proposed scheme shows a new way to construct high-speed key exchange platforms.