Ultra-Large-Capacity Passive Quantum Access Network Powered By Single Thermal Source

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2605.20077v1
• Date: Tue, 19 May 2026 16:32:20 GMT
• Title: Ultra-Large-Capacity Passive Quantum Access Network Powered By Single Thermal Source
• Abstract summary: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) provides secure keys for classical communications through one-time-pad encryption with physical-law security.<n>PON-based Classical Access Networks (CANs) support up to 256 users with a total rate of 10 Gbps (10-Gbps @ 256-users)<n>The equivalent rate demand of OTP encryption requires QKD Access Networks (QANs) to reach comparable performance, yet state-of-the-art PON-based QANs remain far from this standard.<n>We propose a passive Thermal-State QAN (TS-QAN) distributing polychromatic quantum from a single thermal
• Score: 4.628843742681645
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) provides secure keys for classical communications through one-time-pad (OTP) encryption with physical-law security. Advanced PON-based Classical Access Networks (CANs) support up to 256 users with a total rate of 10 Gbps (10-Gbps @ 256-users). The equivalent rate demand of OTP encryption requires QKD Access Networks (QANs) to reach comparable performance, yet state-of-the-art PON-based QANs remain far from this standard. To address this gap, we propose a passive Thermal-State QAN (TS-QAN) distributing polychromatic quantum randomness from a single thermal source and supporting 304 users with an aggregate secret key rate (SKR) of 13 Gbps (13-Gbps @ 304-users). This performance is enabled by three features. First, broadband thermal states with Bose-Einstein statistics can be represented, through the Glauber-Sudarshan representation, as high-bandwidth Gaussian coherent-state ensembles across frequency modes, eliminating many active modulators and quantum random number generators (QRNGs). Second, Electro-Optic (EO) comb beacons provide time-varying polychromatic phase tracking, so each frequency-mode thermal signal can be coherently measured with a Local Local Oscillator (LLO) aided by its beacon, without large-scale phase-locking networks. Third, state broadcasting allows each user to obtain independent final keys via reverse reconciliation after accounting for residual broadcast-induced correlations, expanding network capacity with small SKR losses. Experimentally, we verify a 13-Gbps @ 304-users TS-QAN using Continuous-Variable QKD (CV-QKD) under covariance-matrix-based network security analysis including multimode Holevo leakage and broadcast correlations. This work meets the SKR and capacity demands from CAN to QAN: 13-Gbps @ 304-users satisfies the 10-Gbps @ 256-users benchmark and provides a scalable solution for modern telecommunication systems.

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