Progress in integrated and fiber optics for time-bin based quantum information processing

Quantum cryptography using partially entangled states

We present a new quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme using EPR pairs and Bell state measurement, accompanied by quantum one-way function. The security of our scheme derives from BB84 protocol, and several other features make our QKD scheme fairly suitable for QKD network designs. So we then apply a modified version of our QKD scheme to construct a QKD network, allowing secure key distribution among any users within the network efficiently.

Decoy states and two way quantum key distribution schemes

Based on entanglement swapping, a quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme is proposed. In this scheme, the secret keys are formed by comparing initial Bell states and outcomes of entanglement swapping. Moreover, all initial Bell states prepared by Alice and Bob are completely arbitrary. As the classical information exchanged between two parties is very little, this QKD scheme has a high efficiency. In addition, in order to prevent eavesdropping, decoy particles are used.

This research is introducing an enhanced tight finite key scheme for quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol to authenticate multi-party system in cloud infrastructure. The main attraction is to provide a secure channel between a cloud client to establish a connection among them by applying the theories from Von Neumann and Shannon entropies and also Shor's algorithm. By generalizing these theories we will produce enhanced tight finite key scheme for quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol to authenticate multi-party system in cloud infrastructure. Hence we are using quantum channel and also quantum key distribution (QKD) together with BB84 protocol replacing common channel to distribute the key. We are proposing an authentication of multi-party Quantum Key Distribution (MQKD) protocol using an enhanced tight finite key scheme because it will involve a number of parties in cloud infrastructure. Significant of this research is to reduce the possibility of losing a private key by producing a high efficient key rate and attack resilient.

Multipartite quantum key distribution (QKD) is crucial for quantum communicating and may link massive private information to the complex quantum network protocols. In this paper, we tackle one of the difficulties in multipartite quantum communications by designing a quantum key distribution scheme with improved secret key rates. We suggest an entanglement-based tripartite continuous variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) scheme for quantum network, where the source in the middle generates tripartite state and distributes the modes of the state to legitimate parties, respectively. We analyze the mutual information among the distributed modes of the tripartite state of protocols involving different attack strategies of the eavesdropper in varied circumstances. Numeric simulation results show that the CVQKD system enables the generations of secret keys against optimal coherent attacks.

Photonic chip based time-bin entanglement has attracted significant attention because of its potential for quantum communication and computation. Useful time-bin entanglement systems must be able to generate, manipulate and analyze entangled photons on a photonic chip for stable, scalable and reconfigurable operation. Here we report the first time-bin entanglement photonic chip that integrates time-bin generation, wavelength demultiplexing and entanglement analysis. A two-photon interference fringe with an 88.4% visibility is measured (without subtracting any noise), indicating the high performance of the chip. Our approach, based on a silicon nitride photonic circuit, which combines the low-loss characteristic of silica and tight integration features of silicon, paves the way for scalable real-world quantum information processors.

We investigate the use of photon number states to identify eavesdropping attacks on quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes. The technique is based on the fact that different photon numbers traverse a channel with different transmittivity. We then describe two QKD schemes that utilize this method, one of which overcomes the upper limit on the key generation rate imposed by the dead time of detectors when using a heralded source of photons.

We propose a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme for terahertz (THz) frequency applications operating at room temperature. Motivated by classical MIMO communications, a transmit-receive beamforming scheme is proposed that converts the rank- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r$ </tex-math></inline-formula> MIMO channel between Alice and Bob into <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r$ </tex-math></inline-formula> parallel lossy quantum channels. Compared with existing single-antenna QKD schemes, we demonstrate that the MIMO QKD scheme leads to performance improvements by increasing the secret key rate and extending the transmission distance. Our simulation results show that multiple antennas are necessary to overcome the high free-space path loss at THz frequencies. We demonstrate a non-monotonic relation between performance and frequency, and reveal that positive key rates are achievable in the 10–30 THz frequency range. The proposed scheme can be used for both indoor and outdoor QKD applications for beyond fifth generation ultra-secure wireless communications systems.

We describe the development of a quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme based on ultrafast laser pumped sources of entangled photon pairs and the engineering of their entanglement properties. Though quantum entanglement has been shown to be a useful resource for quantum key distribution, little work has been carried out in making use of the full range of joint entanglement behavior present in hyper-entangled photon pairs. We consider the principal advantages of our QKD scheme in connection with the way it makes use of ultrafast laser pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion and hyper-entanglement. In particular, we consider how polarization quantum interference may be modified by manipulating the spatial features of the down-converted light.

A symmetric two-mode Gaussian entangled state is used to investigate the effect of excess noise on entanglement sudden death and Gaussian quantum discord with continuous variables. The results show that the excess noise in the channel can lead to entanglement sudden death of a symmetric two-mode Gaussian entangled state, while Gaussian quantum discord never vanishes. As a practical application, the security of a quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme based on a symmetric two-mode Gaussian entangled state against collective Gaussian attacks is analyzed. The calculation results show that the secret key cannot be distilled when entanglement vanishes and only quantum discord exists in such a QKD scheme.

We propose a quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme in which four parties can simultaneously share a secret key via optical device. The participants divide the communication into two modes, namely, detecting mode and message mode. Taking advantage of controlled secret short key technology, the participants together can achieve the detecting mode or the message mode by switching between their two sets of optical devices. In the detecting mode, the key distributer Alice utilizes a single-photon state resource and two beam splitters and the other three participants Bob, Charlie and Dick use first-type devices to detect the superposition of vacuum and single-particle states. Hence, any eavesdropping can be found by using a variant of Bell's inequality. In the message mode, Alice uses a two-photon Bell-state resource and two polarization beam splitters instead of the single-particle state resource and beam splitters used in the detecting mode and the other three participants use second-type devices to detect photons. In this case, the secret key can be successfully distributed from Alice to the other three ones. Moreover, the present four-party QKD scheme can be generalized to a 2n-party QKD scheme by using n-photon Greenberg–Horne–Zeilinger.

High-dimensional quantum entanglement can enrich the functionality of quantum information processing. For example, it can enhance the channel capacity for linear optic superdense coding and decrease the error rate threshold of quantum key distribution. Long-distance distribution of a high-dimensional entanglement is essential for such advanced quantum communications over a communications network. Here, we show a long-distance distribution of a four-dimensional entanglement. We employ time-bin entanglement, which is suitable for a fibre transmission, and implement scalable measurements for the high-dimensional entanglement using cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers. We observe that a pair of time-bin entangled photons has more than 1 bit of secure information capacity over 100 km. Our work constitutes an important step towards secure and dense quantum communications in a large Hilbert space.

Optical quantum networks are important for global use of quantum computers, and secure quantum communication. Those networks require storage devices for synchronizing or making queues of processing transferred quantum information. Practical quantum information networks should minimize loss of transmitted data (photons) and have high efficiency mapping when writing data on memories (solid state qubits). This requires strong light-matter interaction that is enabled by coupling qubits to optical cavities. The first half of the thesis focuses on emerging candidates for promising qubits in silicon carbide (SiC). The optical and quantum properties of these color centers are discussed with focus on divacancies in 4H-SiC due to their long spin coherence time. Optically detected magnetic resonance of divacancies is shown, an essential technique for reading out the qubit state using the intensity of optical emission. The second half of the thesis focuses on hybrid photonic devices for coupling to silicon carbide qubits. Hybrid devices are made of another layer of high refractive index material other than the qubit hosting material. Evanescent coupling to qubits close to the surface can be achieved without damaging the host material. Mainly the silicon (Si) on 4H-SiC hybrid ring resonator architecture is discussed starting from design, simulation to fabrication. The fabrication includes Si membrane transfer that is an important step to create a light confining layer on 4H-SiC. The final ring resonator device shows quality factors as high as 23000.

Entanglement is a key resource in many quantum information tasks. From a fundamental perspective entanglement is at the forefront of major philosophical discussions advancing our understanding of nature. An experimental scheme was proposed in 1989 by Franson that exploited the unpredictability in the generation time of a photon pair in order to produce a then new form of quantum entanglement, known as energy-time entanglement. A later modification gave rise to the very popular time-bin entanglement, an important cornerstone in many real-world quantum communication applications. Both forms of entanglement have radically pushed forward our understanding of quantum mechanics throughout the 1990s and 2000s. A decade later modifications to the original proposals were proposed and demonstrated, which opens the path for the highly sought-after device-independence capability for entanglement certification, with a goal of ultra-secure quantum communication. In this review we cover the beginnings of energy-time and time-bin entanglement, many key experiments that expanded our understanding of what was achievable in quantum information experiments all the way down to modern demonstrations based on new technological advances. We will then point out to the future discussing the important place that energy-time and time-bin entanglement will have in upcoming quantum networks and novel protocols based on nonlocality.