arXiv subjects

Gláucia Murta

Publications and source records attributed to Gláucia Murta.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Temporal trade-offs in high-dimensional entanglement: a comprehensive noise model for optimal time-bin QKD protocols

High-dimensional time-bin entanglement is known for having high potential for quantum key distribution (QKD) applications, being easily implementable, robust and may offer better keyrates than simple qubit protocols. The temporal encoding, combined with limited clock resolution, however, implies a trade-off: Is it better to send more low-dimensionally encoded photons or few high-dimensional ones? Answering this question presents a hard challenge as it depends on the entire context of the protocol, including the production rates, losses, dark counts, timing jitters and many more. We answer this question for single Franson based interferometers and asymptotic key rate and shared entanglement as main figures of merit. We present a flexible noise model incorporating all relevant parameters and find that there are indeed regions where high-dimensional encoding still outperforms any qubit based version when the pair arrival rate is limited, for instance through loss or limited pump power.

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arXiv2026

Robust One-Sided Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution via High-Dimensional Steering

Quantum key distribution (QKD) brings the promise of communication with information-theoretic security but is limited in practice due to its susceptibility to noise, losses, and device imperfections. To address these challenges, we propose a robust high-dimensional (HD) one-sided device-independent QKD (1sDI-QKD) protocol and present a proof-of-principle experimental implementation using photons entangled in the transverse-spatial degree-of-freedom. We develop a systematic security analysis of HD 1sDI-QKD protocols, leveraging quantum steering to certify security, and evaluate achievable secret key rates for different measurement configurations and system dimensions using reverse reconciliation. Our analysis shows that increasing the dimension enhances robustness against both noise and loss. We then demonstrate the key experimental building blocks required for implementing the protocol: (a) a high-quality source of high-dimensional photonic entanglement, and (b) a fully programmable, high-dimensional multi-outcome measurement device operating in up to dimension 11. Using these components, we obtain positive key rates for all investigated dimensions under the fair-sampling assumption, with the highest key rates achieved for dimension d=7. Finally, we discuss the steps required for a practical, loophole-free implementation of 1sDI-QKD in realistic regimes of loss and noise.

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arXiv2026

Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs

In contrast to classical public-key cryptosystems, where the security of encoded messages relies on on computational assumptions, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enables two distant parties to establish a shared secret key that, when combined with a one-time pad, provides information-theoretically secure encryption, provided that the QKD protocol is supported by a rigorous security proof. In the last decades, security proofs robust against a wide range of eavesdropping strategies have established the theoretical soundness of several QKD protocols. However, most proofs are based on idealized models of the physical systems involved in such protocols and often include assumptions that are not satisfied in practical implementations. This mismatch creates a gap between theoretical security guarantees and actual experimental realizations, making QKD protocols vulnerable to attacks. To ensure the security of real-world QKD systems, it is therefore essential to account for imperfections in security analyses. In this article, we present an overview of recent analytical and numerical developments in QKD security proofs, which provide a versatile approach for incorporating imperfections and re-establishing the security of quantum communication protocols under realistic conditions.

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arXiv2023

Experimental anonymous quantum conferencing

Anonymous quantum conference key agreement (AQCKA) allows a group of users within a network to establish a shared cryptographic key without revealing their participation. Although this can be achieved using bi-partite primitives alone, it is costly in the number of network rounds required. By allowing the use of multi-partite entanglement, there is a substantial efficiency improvement. We experimentally implement the AQCKA task in a six-user quantum network using Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ)-state entanglement and obtain a significant resource cost reduction in line with theory when compared to a bi-partite-only approach. We also demonstrate that the protocol retains an advantage in a four-user scenario with finite key effects taken into account.

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arXiv2023

Continuity of robustness measures in quantum resource theories

Robustness measures are increasingly prominent resource quantifiers that have been introduced for quantum resource theories such as entanglement and coherence. Despite the generality of these measures, their usefulness is hindered by the fact that some of their mathematical properties remain unclear, especially when the set of resource-free states is non-convex. In this paper, we investigate continuity properties of different robustness functions. We show that their continuity depends on the shape of the set of free states. In particular, we demonstrate that in many cases, star-convexity is sufficient for Lipschitz-continuity of the robustness, and we provide specific examples of sets leading to non-continuous measures. Finally, we illustrate the applicability of our results by defining a robustness of teleportability and of quantum discord.

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arXiv2023

Self-testing with dishonest parties and device-independent entanglement certification in quantum networks

Here we consider the task of device-independent certification of the quantum state distributed in a network when some of the nodes in this network may collude and act dishonestly. We introduce the paradigm of self-testing with dishonest parties and present a protocol to self-test the GHZ state in this framework. We apply this result for state certification in a network with dishonest parties and also provide robust statements about the fidelity of the shared state. Finally, we extend our results to the cluster scenario, where several subgroups of parties may collude during the state certification. Our findings provide a new operational motivation for the strong definition of genuine multipartite nonlocality as originally introduced by Svetlichny in [PRD 35, 3066 (1987)].

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arXiv2023

Boosting device-independent cryptography with tripartite nonlocality

Device-independent (DI) protocols, such as DI conference key agreement (DICKA) and DI randomness expansion (DIRE), certify private randomness by observing nonlocal correlations when two or more parties test a Bell inequality. While most DI protocols are restricted to bipartite Bell tests, harnessing multipartite nonlocal correlations may lead to better performance. Here, we consider tripartite DICKA and DIRE protocols based on testing multipartite Bell inequalities, specifically: the Mermin-Ardehali-Belinskii-Klyshko (MABK) inequality, and the Holz and the Parity-CHSH inequalities introduced in the context of DICKA protocols. We evaluate the asymptotic performance of the DICKA (DIRE) protocols in terms of their conference key rate (net randomness generation rate), by deriving lower bounds on the conditional von Neumann entropy of one party's outcome and two parties' outcomes. For the Holz inequality, we prove a tight analytical lower bound on the one-outcome entropy and conjecture a tight lower bound on the two-outcome entropy. We additionally re-derive the analytical one-outcome entropy bound for the MABK inequality with a much simpler method and obtain a numerical lower bound on the two-outcome entropy for the Parity-CHSH inequality. Our simulations show that DICKA and DIRE protocols employing tripartite Bell inequalities can significantly outperform their bipartite counterparts. Moreover, we establish that genuine multipartite entanglement is not a precondition for multipartite DIRE while its necessity for DICKA remains an open question.

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arXiv2022

Overcoming fundamental bounds on quantum conference key agreement

Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution (TF-QKD) enables two distant parties to establish a shared secret key, by interfering weak coherent pulses (WCPs) in an intermediate measuring station. This allows TF-QKD to reach greater distances than traditional QKD schemes and makes it the only scheme capable of beating the repeaterless bound on the bipartite private capacity. Here, we generalize TF-QKD to the multipartite scenario. Specifically, we propose a practical conference key agreement (CKA) protocol that only uses WCPs and linear optics and prove its security with a multiparty decoy-state method. Our protocol allows an arbitrary number of parties to establish a secret conference key by single-photon interference, enabling it to overcome recent bounds on the rate at which conference keys can be established in quantum networks without a repeater.

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arXiv2022

Secure Anonymous Conferencing in Quantum Networks

Users of quantum networks can securely communicate via so-called (quantum) conference key agreement --making their identities publicly known. In certain circumstances, however, communicating users demand anonymity. Here, we introduce a security framework for anonymous conference key agreement with different levels of anonymity, which is inspired by the epsilon-security of quantum key distribution. We present efficient and noise-tolerant protocols exploiting multipartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states and prove their security in the finite-key regime. We analyze the performance of our protocols in noisy and lossy quantum networks and compare with protocols that only use bipartite entanglement to achieve the same functionalities. Our simulations show that GHZ-based protocols can outperform protocols based on bipartite entanglement and that the advantage increases for protocols with stronger anonymity requirements. Our results strongly advocate the use of multipartite entanglement for cryptographic tasks involving several users.

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arXiv2022

Fully device independent Conference Key Agreement

We present the first security analysis of conference key agreement (CKA) in the most adversarial model of device independence (DI). Our protocol can be implemented {by any experimental setup} that is capable of performing Bell tests (specifically, we introduce the "Parity-CHSH" inequality), and security can in principle be obtained for any violation of the Parity-CHSH inequality. We use a direct connection between the $N$-partite Parity-CHSH inequality and the CHSH inequality. Namely, the Parity-CHSH inequality can be considered as a CHSH inequality or another CHSH inequality (equivalent up to relabelling) depending on the parity of the output of $N-2$ of the parties. We compare the asymptotic key rate for DICKA to the case where the parties use $N-1$ DIQKD protocols in order to generate a common key. We show that for some regime of noise the DICKA protocol leads to better rates.

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arXiv2021

Quantum key distribution overcoming extreme noise: simultaneous subspace coding using high-dimensional entanglement

High-dimensional entanglement promises to increase the information capacity of photons and is now routinely generated exploiting spatio-temporal degrees of freedom of single photons. A curious feature of these systems is the possibility to certify entanglement despite strong noise in the data. We show that it is also possible to exploit this noisy high-dimensional entanglement for quantum key distribution by introducing a protocol that uses mutliple subspaces of the high-dimensional system simultaneously. Our protocol can be used to establish a secret key even in extremely noisy experimental conditions, where qubit protocols fail. To show that, we analyze the performance of our protocol for noise models that apply to the two most commonly used sources of high-dimensional entanglement: time bins and spatial modes.

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arXiv2020

Entropy bounds for multiparty device-independent cryptography

Multiparty quantum cryptography based on distributed entanglement will find its natural application in the upcoming quantum networks. The security of many multipartite device-independent (DI) protocols, such as DI conference key agreement, relies on bounding the von Neumann entropy of the parties' outcomes conditioned on the eavesdropper's information, given the violation of a multipartite Bell inequality. We consider three parties testing the Mermin-Ardehali-Belinskii-Klyshko (MABK) inequality and certify the privacy of their outcomes by bounding the conditional entropy of a single party's outcome and the joint conditional entropy of two parties' outcomes. From the former bound, we show that genuine multipartite entanglement is necessary to certify the privacy of a party's outcome, while the latter significantly improve previous results. We obtain the entropy bounds thanks to two general results of independent interest. The first one drastically simplifies the quantum setup of an $N$-partite Bell scenario. The second one provides an upper bound on the violation of the MABK inequality by an arbitrary $N$-qubit state, as a function of the state's parameters.

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arXiv2020

Fully general device-independence for two-party cryptography and position verification

Device-independent quantum cryptography allows security even if the devices used to execute the protocol are untrusted - whether this is due to unknown imperfections in the implementation, or because the adversary himself constructed them to subvert the security of the protocol. While device-independence has seen much attention in the domain of quantum key distribution, relatively little is known for general protocols. Here we introduce a new model for device-independence for two-party protocols and position verification in the noisy-storage model. For the first time, we show that such protocols are secure in the most general device-independent model in which the devices may have arbitrary memory, states and measurements. In our analysis, we make use of a slight modification of a beautiful new tool developed in [arXiv:1607.01796] called "Entropy Accumulation Theorem". What's more, the protocols we analyze use only simple preparations and measurements, and can be realized using any experimental setup able to perform a CHSH Bell test. Specifically, security can be attained for any violation of the CHSH inequality, where a higher violation merely leads to a reduction in the amount of rounds required to execute the protocol.

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arXiv2020

Genuine multipartite entanglement is not a precondition for secure conference key agreement

Entanglement plays a crucial role in the security of quantum key distribution. A secret key can only be obtained by two parties if there exists a corresponding entanglement-based description of the protocol in which entanglement is witnessed, as shown by Curty et al (2004). Here we investigate the role of entanglement for the generalization of quantum key distribution to the multipartite scenario, namely conference key agreement. In particular, we ask whether the strongest form of multipartite entanglement, namely genuine multipartite entanglement, is necessary to establish a conference key. We show that, surprisingly, a non-zero conference key can be obtained even if the parties share biseparable states in each round of the protocol. Moreover we relate conference key agreement with entanglement witnesses and show that a non-zero conference key can be interpreted as a non-linear entanglement witness that detects a class of states which cannot be detected by usual linear entanglement witnesses.

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arXiv2020

Quantum Conference Key Agreement: A Review

Conference key agreement (CKA), or multipartite key distribution, is a cryptographic task where more than two parties wish to establish a common secret key. A composition of bipartite quantum key distribution protocols can accomplish this task. However, the existence of multipartite quantum correlations allows for new and potentially more efficient protocols, to be applied in future quantum networks. Here, we review the existing quantum CKA protocols based on multipartite entanglement, both in the device-dependent and the device-independent scenario.

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arXiv2020

Key rates for quantum key distribution protocols with asymmetric noise

We consider the asymptotic key rates achieved in the simplest quantum key distribution protocols, namely the BB84 and the six-state protocols, when non-uniform noise is present in the system. We first observe that higher qubit error rates do not necessarily imply lower key rates. Secondly, we consider protocols with advantage distillation and show that it can be advantageous to use the basis with higher quantum bit error rate for the key generation. We then discuss the relation between advantage distillation and entanglement distillation protocols. We show that applying advantage distillation to a string of bits formed by the outcomes of measurements in the basis with higher quantum bit error rate is closely connected to the two-to-one entanglement distillation protocol DEJMPS. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results for implementations of quantum key distribution.

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arXiv2020

Verifiable Hybrid Secret Sharing With Few Qubits

We consider the task of sharing a secret quantum state in a quantum network in a verifiable way. We propose a protocol that achieves this task, while reducing the number of required qubits, as compared to the existing protocols. To achieve this, we combine classical encryption of the quantum secret with an existing verifiable quantum secret sharing scheme based on Calderbank-Shor-Steane quantum error correcting codes. In this way we obtain a verifiable hybrid secret sharing scheme for sharing qubits, which combines the benefits of quantum and classical schemes. Our scheme does not reveal any information to any group of less than half of the $n$ nodes participating in the protocol. Moreover, for sharing a one-qubit state each node needs a quantum memory to store $n$ single-qubit shares, and requires a workspace of at most $3n$ qubits in total to verify the quantum secret. Importantly, in our scheme an individual share is encoded in a single qubit, as opposed to previous schemes requiring $Ω(\log n)$ qubits per share. Furthermore, we define a ramp verifiable hybrid scheme. We give explicit examples of various verifiable hybrid schemes based on existing quantum error correcting codes.

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arXiv2019

Towards a realization of device-independent quantum key distribution

In the implementation of device-independent quantum key distribution we are interested in maximizing the key rate, i.e. the number of key bits that can be obtained per signal, for a fixed security parameter. In the finite size regime, we furthermore also care about the minimum number of signals required before key can be obtained at all. Here, we perform a fully finite size analysis of device independent protocols using the CHSH inequality both for collective and coherent attacks. For coherent attacks, we sharpen the results recently derived in Arnon-Friedman et al., Nat. Commun. 9, 459 (2018), to reduce the minimum number of signals before key can be obtained. In the regime of collective attacks, where the devices are restricted to have no memory, we employ two different techniques that exploit this restriction to further reduce the number of signals. We then discuss experimental platforms in which DIQKD may be implemented. We analyse Bell violations and expected QBER achieved in previous Bell tests with distant setups and situate these parameters in the security analysis. Moreover, focusing on one of the experimental platforms, namely nitrogen-vacancy based systems, we describe experimental improvements that can lead to a device-independent quantum key distribution implementation in the near future.

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