Practical Quantum Cryptography with Ultra-High Encryption Rates
Abstract
Quantum computers are machines that can break todays’ most prevalent encryption techniques in minutes. Recent progress in experimental quantum computing has indicated that this threat is no longer theoretical but real. If successfully implemented, quantum computers can be used to decrypt any nation’s trade secrets, confidential communication, and military documents. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is the only solution that is secure against such threats. More specifically, the security of QKD is solely dependent on the laws of quantum physics and not on how powerful the adversaries could be. This nicely implies that QKD’s security is long-term and can be used to encrypt highly sensitive data requiring long-term security. One major bottleneck in practice is poor secret key rate. Current QKD systems are implemented using two-level quantum states and thus could only generate one secret bit per photon detected. Considering that channel loss is typically very high in practice, this means that only hundreds of photons could be detected in one second. Consequently, only tens of secret bits could be produced per second. For practical applications, this level of throughput is clearly not practical. We need QKD to generate secret key rates in the order of megabits to be compatible with today’s digital communication rates.In this project we propose to develop QKD models that are able to generate ultra-high secret key rates. More specifically, we plan to derive security proof techniques that will enable the development of practical QKD systems based on high-dimensional quantum signals. The 1-year project will be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, we will first develop numerical techniques that can bound the set of quantum correlations derived from quantum networks. Then in the second phase, we will apply these techniques to establish tight secret key rates for high-dimensional QKD protocols.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 11, 2018
- Source ID
- FA23861814033
Entities
People
- Ci Wen Lim
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National University of Singapore
- United States Air Force