Device-independent Quantum Research Articles

Device-independent quantum secret sharing with noise preprocessing and postselection

Device-independent quantum secret sharing with noise preprocessing and postselection

Entropy Bounds for Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Local Bell Test.

One of the main challenges in device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) is achieving the required Bell violation over long distances, as the channel losses result in low overall detection efficiencies. Recent works have explored the concept of certifying nonlocal correlations over extended distances through the use of a local Bell test. Here, an additional quantum device is placed in close proximity to one party, using short-distance correlations to verify nonlocal behavior at long distances. However, existing works have either not resolved the question of DIQKD security against active attackers in this setup, or used methods that do not yield tight bounds on the key rates. In this work, we introduce a general formulation of the key rate computation task in this setup that can be combined with recently developed methods for analyzing standard DIQKD. Using this method, we show that if the short-distance devices exhibit sufficiently high detection efficiencies, positive key rates can be achieved in the long-distance branch with lower detection efficiencies as compared to standard DIQKD setups. This highlights the potential for improved performance of DIQKD over extended distances in scenarios where short-distance correlations are leveraged to validate quantum correlations.

Partial loopholes free device-independent quantum random number generator using IBM's quantum computers

Abstract Random numbers form an intrinsic part of modern day computing with applications in a wide variety of fields, and quantum systems due to their intrinsic randomness form a suitable candidate for generation of true random numbers that can also be certified. In this work, we have demonstrated the use of cloud based quantum computers to develop a partially loophole free device-independent quantum random number generator (QRNG). The generated random numbers have been tested for their source of origin through experiments based on the testing of Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt (CHSH) inequality through available IBM quantum computers. The performance of each quantum computer against the CHSH test has been plotted and characterized. Further, efforts have been made to close as many loopholes as possible to produce device-independent quantum random number generators. This study will help provide new directions for the development of self-testing and semi-self-testing random number generators using quantum computers.

SOS decomposition for general Bell inequalities in two qubits systems and its application to quantum randomness

Bell non-locality is closely related with device independent quantum randomness. In this paper, we present a kind of sum-of-squares (SOS) decomposition for general Bell inequalities in two qubits systems. By using the obtained SOS decomposition, we can then find the measurement operators associated with the maximal violation of considered Bell inequality. We also practice the SOS decomposition method by considering the (generalized) Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality, the Elegant Bell inequality, the Gisin inequality and the Chained Bell inequality as examples. The corresponding SOS decompositions and the measurement operators that cause the maximum violation values of these Bell inequalities are derived, which are consistent with previous results. We further discuss the device independent quantum randomness by using the SOS decompositions of Bell inequalities. We take the generalized CHSH inequality with the maximally entangled state and the Werner state that attaining the maximal violations as examples. Exact value or lower bound on the maximal guessing probability using the SOS decomposition are obtained. For Werner state, the lower bound can supply a much precise estimation of quantum randomness when p tends to 1.

Sharing asymmetric Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen steering with projective measurements

Recently, both global and local classical randomness-assisted projective measurement protocols have been employed to share Bell nonlocality of an entangled state among multiple sequential parties. Unlike Bell nonlocality, Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering exhibits distinct asymmetric characteristics and serves as the necessary quantum resource for one-sided device-independent quantum information tasks. In this work, we propose a projective measurement protocol and investigate the shareability of EPR steering with steering radius criterion theoretically and experimentally. Our results reveal that arbitrarily many independent parties can share one-way steerability using projective measurements, even when no shared randomness is available. Furthermore, by leveraging only local randomness, asymmetric two-way steerability can also be shared. Our work not only deepens the understanding of the role of projective measurements in sharing quantum correlations but also opens up a new avenue for reutilizing asymmetric quantum correlations.

Stable and wavelength-tunable multiwavelength laser for high-rate measurement device independent quantum key distribution

Measurement device independent quantum key distribution (MDI QKD) has attracted growing attention for its immunity to attacks at the measurement unit, but its unique structure limits the secret key rate. Utilizing the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technique and reducing error rates are effective strategies for enhancing the secret key rate. Reducing error rates often requires active feedback control of wavelengths using precise external references. However, for a multiwavelength laser, employing multiple references to stabilize each wavelength output places stringent demands on these references and significantly increases system complexity. Here, we demonstrate a stable, wavelength-tunable multiwavelength laser with an output wavelength ranging from 1270 to 1610 nm. Through precise temperature control and stable drive current, we passively lock the laser wavelength, achieving remarkable wavelength stability. This significantly reduce the error rate, leading to an almost doubling of the secret key rate compared to previous experiments. Furthermore, the exceptional wavelength stability offered by our multiwavelength laser, combined with the WDM technique, has further boosted the secret key rate of MDI QKD. With a wide wavelength tuning range of 5.1 nm, our multiwavelength laser facilitates flexible operation across multiple dense wavelength division multiplexing channels. Coupled with high wavelength stability and multiple wavelength outputs simultaneously, this laser offers a promising solution for a high-rate MDI QKD system.

Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Arbitrarily Small Nonlocality

Device-independent quantum key distribution allows two users to set up shared cryptographic key without the need to trust the quantum devices used. Doing so requires nonlocal correlations between the users. However, in Farkas [] it was shown that for known protocols nonlocality is not always sufficient, leading to the question of whether there is a fundamental lower bound on the minimum amount of nonlocality needed for any device-independent quantum key distribution implementation. Here, we show that no such bound exists, giving schemes that achieve key with correlations arbitrarily close to the local set. Furthermore, some of our constructions achieve the maximum of 1 bit of key per pair of entangled qubits. We achieve this by studying a family of Bell inequalities that constitute all self-tests of the maximally entangled state with a single linear Bell expression. Within this family there exist nonlocal correlations with the property that one pair of inputs yield outputs arbitrarily close to perfect key. Such correlations exist for a range of Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt values, including those arbitrarily close to the classical bound. Finally, we show the existence of quantum correlations that can generate both perfect key and perfect randomness simultaneously, while also displaying arbitrarily small Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt violation. This opens up the possibility of a new class of cryptographic protocol. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Unbounded Device-Independent Quantum Key Rates from Arbitrarily Small Nonlocality

Device-independent quantum key distribution allows for proving the security of a shared cryptographic key between two distant parties with potentially untrusted devices. The security proof is based on the measurement outcome statistics (correlation) of a Bell experiment, and security is guaranteed by the laws of quantum theory. While it is known that the observed correlation must be Bell nonlocal in order to prove security, recent results show that Bell nonlocality is in general not sufficient for standard device-independent quantum key distribution. In this work, we show that conversely, there is no lower bound on the amount of nonlocality that is sufficient for device-independent quantum key distribution. Even more so, we show that from certain correlations that exhibit arbitrarily small nonlocality, one can still extract unbounded device-independent key rates. Therefore, a quantitative relation between device-independent key rates and Bell nonlocality cannot be drawn in general. Our main technique comprises a rigorous connection between self-testing and device-independent quantum key distribution, applied to a recently discovered family of Bell inequalities with arbitrarily many measurement outcomes. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Device-independent quantum secure direct communication under non-Markovian quantum channels

Device-independent quantum secure direct communication under non-Markovian quantum channels

Full network nonlocality sharing in extended bilocal scenario via weak measurements with the optimal pointer

The investigation of network nonlocality (NN) has expanded the study of quantum nonlocality, yet it fails to fully capture the complexities within quantum networks. Recently, a stronger and more genuine definition of NN, known as full quantum network nonlocality (FNN), has been explored, which is considered a vital resource for realizing network-based device-independent quantum cryptography protocols. In this work, we explore the recycling of FNN as quantum resources by analyzing the FNN sharing between different combinations of observers. The FNN sharing in an extended bilocal scenario (consisting of two independent two-qubit quantum states as sources) via weak measurements has been thoroughly discussed. Based on the different motivations of the observer-Charlie1, two types of possible FNN sharing, passive FNN sharing and active FNN sharing, can be investigated by checking the simultaneous violation of Kerstjens–Gisin–Tavakoli inequalities between Alice-Bob-Charlie1 and Alice-Bob-Charlie2. Our results show that passive FNN sharing is impossible while active FNN sharing can be achieved through proper measurements, indicating that FNN sharing in this scenario requires more cooperation by intermediate observers compared to Bell nonlocality sharing and NN sharing.

Custom Bell inequalities from formal sums of squares

Bell inequalities play a key role in certifying quantum properties for device-independent quantum information protocols. It is still a major challenge, however, to devise Bell inequalities tailored for an arbitrary given quantum state. Existing approaches based on sums of squares provide results in this direction, but they are restricted by the necessity of first choosing measurement settings suited to the state. Here, we show how the sum of square property can be enforced for an arbitrary target state by making an appropriate choice of nullifiers, which is made possible by leaving freedom in the choice of measurement. Using our method, we construct simple Bell inequalities for several families of quantum states, including partially entangled multipartite GHZ states and qutrit states. In most cases we are able to prove that the constructed Bell inequalities achieve self-testing of the target state. We also use the freedom in the choice of measurement to self-test partially entangled two-qubit states with a family of settings with two parameters. Finally, we show that some statistics can be self-tested with distinct Bell inequalities, hence obtaining new insight on the shape of the set of quantum correlations.

Development of a quantum dots based immunochromatographic strip for rapid and on-site detection of African swine fever virus

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal disease caused by ASF virus (ASFV), severely impacting the global swine industry. Though nuclear acid-based detection methods are reliable, they are laboratory-dependent. In this study, we developed a device-independent, user friendly and cost-effective quantum dots based immunochromatographic strip (QDs-ICS) with high specificity and sensitivity for the rapid and on-site detection of ASFV antigen. For the preparation of the QDs-ICS, we generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) mAb-8G8 and polyclonal antibody (pAb) against ASFV-p72 protein. The pAb was labelled with QDs to be used as the detection probe and the mAb-8G8 was coated on the nitrocellulose membrane as the test line. Our results proved that the strip displayed no cross-reactivity with other swine viruses and detection limit of the QDs-ICS was down to 1 ng/mL for the ASFV-p72 protein with great reproducibility. The strip also exhibited high stability with a storage period up to 12 months under room temperature. Twenty blind samples and one hundred clinical samples were examined by the QDs-ICS, conventional PCR and real-time PCR method, respectively. Results showed that the agreement rate between the QDs-ICS and PCR method was 100%, and the agreement rate between the strip and real-time PCR was 94%. The novel QDs-ICS developed here would be an effective tool for on-site detection of ASFV.

Device-independent quantum key distribution with realistic single-photon source implementations

Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) aims at generating secret keys between distant parties without the parties trusting their devices. We investigate a proposal for performing fully photonic DIQKD, based on single photon sources and heralding measurements at a central station placed between the two parties. We derive conditions to attain non-zero secret-key rates in terms of the photon efficiency, indistinguishability and the second order autocorrelation function of the single-photon sources. Exploiting new results on the security bound of such protocols allows us to reduce the requirements on the physical parameters of the setup. Our analysis shows that in the considered schemes, key rates of several hundreds of secret bits per second are within reach at distances of several tens of kilometers.

Improved and formal proposal for device-independent quantum private query * *This is a substantially revised and extended version of the paper [] that recently appeared in the proceedings of Indocrypt 2022. This submitted version includes additional results in sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 3.1, 3.3 and in the appendix.

In this paper, we present a novel quantum private query (QPQ) scheme that is fully device-independent. As far as we know, this is the first QPQ scheme that uses EPR pairs and offers full device independence. Our approach takes into account the self-testing of shared EPR pairs and the self-testing of projective measurement operators in a mistrustful scenario where neither the client nor the server trusts each other. To achieve full device independence, we also exploit self-testing of a specific class of POVM operators used by the client in our scheme. Additionally, we evaluate the performance of our proposal formally and derive an upper limit of the maximum cheating probabilities (when the protocol does not terminate) for both the dishonest client and the dishonest server.

Tripartite Svetlichny test with measurement dependence

The Bell test, as an important method for detecting nonlocality, is widely used in device-independent quantum information processing tasks. The security of these tasks is based on an assumption called measurement independence. Since this assumption is difficult to be guaranteed in practical Bell tests, it is meaningful to consider the effect of reduced measurement independence (i.e., measurement dependence) on Bell tests. Some research studies have shown that nonlocality can be detected even if measurement dependence exists. However, the relevant results are all based on bipartite Bell tests, and the results for multipartite Bell tests are still missing. In this paper, we explore this problem in the tripartite Svetlichny test. By considering flexible lower and upper bounds on the degree of measurement dependence, we obtain the relation among measurement dependence, guessing probability, and the maximal value of Svetlichny inequality. Our results reveal the case in which genuine nonlocality is nonexistent; at this point, the outcomes of the Bell test cannot be applied in device-independent quantum information processing tasks.

Quantum key distribution using deterministic single-photon sources over a field-installed fibre link

Quantum-dot-based single-photon sources are key assets for quantum information technology, supplying on-demand scalable quantum resources for computing and communication. However, long-lasting issues such as limited long-term stability and source brightness have traditionally impeded their adoption in real-world applications. Here, we realize a quantum key distribution field trial using true single photons across an 18-km-long dark fibre, located in the Copenhagen metropolitan area, using an optimized, state-of-the-art, quantum-dot single-photon source frequency-converted to the telecom wavelength. A secret key generation rate of > 2 kbits/s realized over a 9.6 dB channel loss is achieved with a polarization-encoded BB84 scheme, showing remarkable stability for more than 24 hours of continuous operation. Our results highlight the maturity of deterministic single-photon source technology while paving the way for advanced single-photon-based communication protocols, including fully device-independent quantum key distribution, towards the goal of a quantum internet.

A measurement device independent multi-party quantum key agreement protocol with identity authentication

A measurement device independent multi-party quantum key agreement protocol with identity authentication

Upper bounds on key rates in device-independent quantum key distribution based on convex-combination attacks

Upper bounds on key rates in device-independent quantum key distribution based on convex-combination attacks

Monte Carlo approach to the evaluation of the security of device-independent quantum key distribution

We present a generic study on the information-theoretic security of multi-setting device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) protocols, i.e. ones that involve more than two measurements (or inputs) for each party to perform, and yield dichotomic results (or outputs). The approach we develop, when applied in protocols with either symmetric or asymmetric Bell experiments, yields nontrivial upper bounds on the secure key rates, along with the detection efficiencies required upon the measuring devices. The results imply that increasing the number of measurements may lower the detection efficiency required by the security criterion. The improvement, however, depends on (i) the choice of multi-setting Bell inequalities chosen to be tested in a protocol, and (ii) either a symmetric or asymmetric Bell experiment is considered. Our results serve as an advance toward the quest for evaluating security and reducing efficiency requirement of applying DIQKD in scenarios without heralding.

High-capacity device-independent quantum secure direct communication based on hyper-encoding

Quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) can directly transmit secret messages through quantum channel without keys. Device-independent (DI) QSDC guarantees the message security relying only on the observation of the Bell-inequality violation, but not on any detailed description or trust of the devices’ inner workings. Compared with conventional QSDC, DI-QSDC has relatively low secret message capacity. To increase DI-QSDC’s secret messages capacity, we propose a high-capacity DI-QSDC protocol based on the hyper-encoding technique. The total message leakage rate of our DI-QSDC protocol only relies on the most robust degree of freedom. We provide the numerical simulation of its secret message capacity altered with the communication distance. Our work serves as an important step toward the further development of DI-QSDC systems.