Security of decoy-state quantum key distribution with correlated bit-and-basis encoders

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11767v1
• Date: Tue, 12 May 2026 08:37:36 GMT
• Title: Security of decoy-state quantum key distribution with correlated bit-and-basis encoders
• Abstract summary: correlations break the round-by-round independence structure on which many widely used security proof techniques rely.<n>We develop a finite-key security proof for decoy-state BB84 against general coherent attacks.
• Score: 36.94429692322632
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Practical quantum key distribution (QKD) modulators inevitably introduce correlations, causing the state emitted in a given round to depend on the setting choices made in previous rounds. These correlations break the round-by-round independence structure on which many widely used security proof techniques rely, leaving a significant gap between available theoretical guarantees and the reality of practical implementations. In this work, we develop a finite-key security proof for decoy-state BB84 against general coherent attacks that rigorously incorporates correlations introduced by Alice's bit-and-basis encoder, while requiring only partial characterization of such correlations.

Related papers

• Finite-key security analysis of decoy-state QKD with source and detector imperfections [0.0]
  Decoy-state quantum key distribution (QKD) is the most widely adopted approach for overcoming the limitations of imperfect single-photon sources.<n>In this work, we combine and extend several recent theoretical advances to provide a comprehensive analytical finite-key security proof for QKD.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-06-29T08:20:44Z)
• Quantum Meets Statistical-Physical Secrecy: A Novel Hybrid Key Distribution Architecture [26.842576690061566]
  hybrid key distribution architecture jointly exploits quantum key distribution (QKD) and Kirchhoff-law-Johnson-noise (KLJN) statistical-physical key exchange.<n>Optical BB84-type QKD link operates in coordination with a parallel wired KLJN link.<n> Numerical results show that the proposed hybrid architecture can improve key generation efficiency and throughput in short-haul infrastructures.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-05-14T11:09:06Z)
• Post-Quantum Cryptography from Quantum Stabilizer Decoding [40.84312119358882]
  Post-quantum cryptography currently rests on a small number of hardness assumptions.<n>We argue that decoding random quantum stabilizer codes is an excellent candidate.<n>We prove that the average-case hardness of quantum stabilizer decoding implies the core primitives of classical Cryptomania.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-19T16:35:31Z)
• Rigorous phase-error-estimation security framework for QKD with correlated sources [0.0]
  Practical QKD modulators introduce correlations between consecutively emitted pulses due to bandwidth limitations.<n>Our framework overcomes important limitations of previous approaches in terms of generality and rigor.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-01-13T10:35:16Z)
• Secure quantum key distribution against correlated leakage source [20.01403427477703]
  Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides information theoretic security based on quantum mechanics.<n>Among various source loopholes, correlations between transmitted pulses pose a significant yet underexplored security risk.<n>We propose a security analysis framework for QKD under correlations, enabling finite-key analysis for the first time.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-15T12:23:24Z)
• Finite-Key Analysis for Coherent One-Way Quantum Key Distribution [18.15943439545963]
  Coherent-one-way (COW) quantum key distribution (QKD) is a significant communication protocol that has been implemented experimentally and deployed in practical products. Existing security analyses of COW-QKD either provide a short transmission distance or lack immunity against coherent attacks in the finite-key regime. We present a tight finite-key framework for a variant of COW-QKD, which has been proven to extend the secure transmission distance in the case.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-28T03:32:06Z)
• Experimental quantum secret sharing based on phase encoding of coherent states [17.01107355316032]
  We propose a quantum secret sharing protocol with simple phase encoding of coherent states among three parties. Our scheme achieves a key rate of 85.3 bps under a 35 dB channel loss.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-03-26T04:35:07Z)
• Phase-Matching Quantum Key Distribution without Intensity Modulation [25.004151934190965]
  We propose a phase-matching quantum key distribution protocol without intensity modulation. Simulation results show that the transmission distance of our protocol could reach 305 km in telecommunication fiber. Our protocol provides a promising solution for constructing quantum networks.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-03-21T04:32:01Z)
• Composably secure data processing for Gaussian-modulated continuous variable quantum key distribution [58.720142291102135]
  Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (QKD) employs the quadratures of a bosonic mode to establish a secret key between two remote parties. We consider a protocol with homodyne detection in the general setting of composable finite-size security. In particular, we analyze the high signal-to-noise regime which requires the use of high-rate (non-binary) low-density parity check codes.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-03-30T18:02:55Z)
• Twin-field quantum key distribution with passive-decoy state [22.26373392802507]
  We propose passive-decoy based TF-QKD, in which we combine TF-QKD with the passive-decoy method. We present a simulation comparing the key generation rate with that in active-decoy, the result shows our scheme performs as good as active decoy TF-QKD.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-11-15T04:02:48Z)
• Efficient decoy-states for the reference-frame-independent measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution [22.452971995801686]
  RFI-MDI-QKD eliminates all possible attacks on detector side and necessity of reference-frame alignment in source sides. The performance of RFI-MDI-QKD is greatly improved in terms of secret key rate and achievable distance when statistical fluctuations are considered.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-02-10T11:52:53Z)
• Quantum key distribution with correlated sources [1.7499351967216341]
  In theory, quantum key distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security. In practice, however, it does not due to discrepancies between the assumptions used in the security proofs and the behaviour of the real apparatuses. Here, we close this gap by introducing a simple yet general method to prove the security of QKD with arbitrarily long-range pulse correlations.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2019-08-22T09:05:17Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.