arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Akio Tajima.
We study coexistence of CV-QKD and 7 classical 12.5 Gbit/s on-off keying channels in WDM transmission over the C-band. We demonstrate key generation with a distilled secret key rate between 20 to 50 kbit/s in experiments running continuously over 24 hours.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two distant parties to share secret keys with the proven security even in the presence of an eavesdropper with unbounded computational power. Recently, GHz-clock decoy QKD systems have been realized by employing ultrafast optical communication devices. However, security loopholes of high-speed systems have not been fully explored yet. Here we point out a security loophole at the transmitter of the GHz-clock QKD, which is a common problem in high-speed QKD systems using practical band-width limited devices. We experimentally observe the inter-pulse intensity correlation and modulation-pattern dependent intensity deviation in a practical high-speed QKD system. Such correlation violates the assumption of most security theories. We also provide its countermeasure which does not require significant changes of hardware and can generate keys secure over 100 km fiber transmission. Our countermeasure is simple, effective and applicable to wide range of high-speed QKD systems, and thus paves the way to realize ultrafast and security-certified commercial QKD systems.
Maintenance-free wavelength-division-multiplexing quantum key distribution for 30 days was achieved through a 22-km field fiber. Using polarization-independent interferometers and stabilization techniques, we attained a quantum bit error rate as low as 1.70% and a key rate as high as 229.8 kbps, making the record of total secure key of 595.6 Gbits accumulated over an uninterrupted operation period.
We demonstrated ultra fast BB84 quantum key distribution (QKD) transmission at 625 MHz clock rate through a 97 km field-installed fiber using practical clock synchronization based on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). We succeeded in over-one-hour stable key generation at a high sifted key rate of 2.4 kbps and a low quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 2.9%. The asymptotic secure key rate was estimated to be 0.78-0.82 kbps from the transmission data with the decoy method of average photon numbers 0, 0.15, and 0.4 photons/pulse.
A single-photon avalanche detector (SPAD) for high-speed quantum-key generation has successfully been developed. It has the highest photon detection repetition frequency and the lowest dark count rate in the world, as a board-mountable sub-system. The SPAD consists of an ultra-small dual-avalanche photodiode (APD) module and a novel discriminator. The APD module design is consistent with cooling capability and high-frequency characteristics. The new module has a 3 GHz bandwidth enabling 1 GHz gate-pulse repetition. The bandwidth is extended 15-fold relative to the most wideband peltier cooled APD module. The discriminator has a self-training mechanism to compensate charge pulse. Dark count rare of the SPAD is reduced 1/10th relative to the lowest dark count single photon detector. The SPAD allows 3.2-fold multiplying the quantum key generation rate in theoretical estimation.