MilestoneTheory & algorithmsConfirmed

Decoy states strengthen quantum key distribution with imperfect sources

Oct 31, 2004

Hoi-Kwong Lo, Xiongfeng Ma and Kai Chen develop a key-distribution scheme using decoy signals to detect eavesdropping. The analysis addresses imperfections in practical sources while retaining essentially the same experimental hardware.

Why it matters

Accounting for imperfect light sources brings security proofs closer to practical quantum communication systems.

Hoi-Kwong Lo · Xiongfeng Ma · Kai Chen

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Related

• Bennett and Brassard propose BB84, a way to share secret keys using photons (Dec 1984)
• Shor and Preskill give a simpler security proof for BB84 (Mar 1, 2000)