Generation of Decoy Signals Using Optical Amplifiers for a Plug-and-Play Quantum Key Distribution System
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea
2
Center for Quantum Information, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea
3
Division of Nano & Information Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Durdu Guney and David Petrosyan
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(13), 6491; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136491
Received: 23 May 2022
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Revised: 22 June 2022
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Accepted: 23 June 2022
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Published: 27 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Topic Quantum Information and Quantum Computing)
In most quantum key distribution (QKD) systems, a decoy-state protocol is implemented for preventing potential quantum attacks and higher mean photon rates. An optical intensity modulator attenuating the signal intensity is used to implement it in a QKD system adopting a one-way architecture. However, in the case of the plug-and-play (or two-way) architecture, there are technical issues, including random polarization of the input signal pulse and long-term stability. In this study, we propose a method for generating decoy pulses through amplification using an optical amplifier. The proposed scheme operates regardless of the input signal polarization. In addition, a circulator was added to adjust the signal intensity when the signal enters the input and exits the QKD transmitter by monitoring the intensity of the output signal pulse. It also helps to defend against Trojan horse attacks. A test setup for the proof-of-principle experiment was implemented and tested, and it was shown that the system operated stably with a quantum bit error rate (QBER) value of less than 5% over 26 h using a quantum channel (QC) of 25 km.
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Keywords:
plug-and-play quantum key distribution; decoy-state protocol; quantum optics; quantum communication; QKD; information security
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MDPI and ACS Style
Woo, M.-K.; Park, C.-H.; Kim, S.; Han, S.-W. Generation of Decoy Signals Using Optical Amplifiers for a Plug-and-Play Quantum Key Distribution System. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 6491. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136491
AMA Style
Woo M-K, Park C-H, Kim S, Han S-W. Generation of Decoy Signals Using Optical Amplifiers for a Plug-and-Play Quantum Key Distribution System. Applied Sciences. 2022; 12(13):6491. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136491
Chicago/Turabian StyleWoo, Min-Ki, Chang-Hoon Park, Sangin Kim, and Sang-Wook Han. 2022. "Generation of Decoy Signals Using Optical Amplifiers for a Plug-and-Play Quantum Key Distribution System" Applied Sciences 12, no. 13: 6491. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136491
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