arXiv subjects

Toshihiko Sasaki

Publications and source records attributed to Toshihiko Sasaki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Asymptotically tight security analysis of quantum key distribution based on universal source compression

Practical quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols require a finite-size security proof. The phase error correction (PEC) approach is one of the general strategies for security analyses that has successfully proved finite-size security for many protocols. However, the conventional PEC approach cannot achieve the asymptotically optimal key rate in general, as long as the failure probability of PEC is estimated through the phase error rate. In this work, we propose a new PEC-type strategy that can provably achieve the asymptotically optimal key rate. The key piece for this is a virtual protocol based on universal source compression with quantum side information, which is of independent interest. A universal source compression with quantum side information protocol is first constructed for fixed-length independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.)~setups and then extended to adaptive-length setups with the restrictions on possible states imposed by joint random variables. Combined with the reduction method to collective attacks, this enables us to tightly evaluate the failure probability of PEC for permutation-symmetric QKD protocols, and thus leads to asymptotically tight analyses. As a result, the security of any permutation-symmetrizable QKD protocol gets reduced to the estimation problem of a single conditional Rényi entropy, which can be efficiently solved by a convex optimization.

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arXiv2025

Q-Fly: An Optical Interconnect for Modular Quantum Computers

Much like classical supercomputers, scaling up quantum computers requires an optical interconnect. However, signal attenuation leads to irreversible qubit loss, making quantum interconnect design guidelines and metrics different from conventional computing. Inspired by the classical Dragonfly topology, we propose a multi-group structure where the group switch routes photons emitted by computational end nodes to the group's shared pool of Bell state analyzers (which conduct the entanglement swapping that creates end-to-end entanglement) or across a low-diameter path to another group. We present a full-stack analysis of system performance, a combination of distributed and centralized protocols, and a resource scheduler that plans qubit placement and communications for large-scale, fault-tolerant systems. We implement a prototype three-node switched interconnect to justify hardware-side scalability and to expose low-level architectural challenges. We create two-hop entanglement with fidelities of 0.6-0.76. Our design emphasizes reducing network hops and optical components to simplify system stabilization while flexibly adjusting optical path lengths. Based on evaluated loss and infidelity budgets, we find that moderate-radix switches enable systems meeting expected near-term needs, and large systems are feasible. Our design is expected to be effective for a variety of quantum computing technologies, including ion traps and neutral atoms.

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arXiv2025

Security loophole in error verification in quantum key distribution

The security of quantum key distribution (QKD) is evaluated based on the secrecy of Alice's key and the correctness of the keys held by Alice and Bob. A practical method for ensuring correctness is known as error verification, in which Alice and Bob reveal a portion of their reconciled keys and check whether the revealed information matches. In this paper, we point out that when error verification is performed in a QKD protocol, the definition of secrecy must be revised accordingly. We illustrate the necessity of this revision with a counterexample, showing that neglecting it can lead to an incorrect security claim. In particular, we observe that in the case of security proof method based on phase error correction, which is one of the mainstream approaches and also known as Koashi's approach, no explicit method has been established to properly incorporate the revised secrecy definition. To resolve this issue, we present a way to translate the phase error correction-based approach into another mainstream approach, called the leftover hashing lemma-based approach, also known as Renner's approach, where a solution has already been formulated. As a consequence, security proofs under the phase error correction-based approach automatically remain valid without any change in the secret key length, even if they implicitly consider error verification without revising the secrecy definition.

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arXiv2025

Protocol-level description and self-contained security proof of decoy-state BB84 QKD protocol

In this paper, we present a flowchart-based description of the decoy-state BB84 quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol and provide a step-by-step, self-contained information-theoretic security proof for this protocol within the universal composable security framework. As a result, our proof yields a key rate consistent with previous findings. Importantly, unlike all the prior security proofs, our approach offers a fully rigorous and mathematical justification for achieving the key rate with the claimed correctness and secrecy parameters, thereby representing a significant step toward the formal certification of QKD systems.

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arXiv2024

Tight concentration inequalities for quantum adversarial setups exploiting permutation symmetry

We developed new concentration inequalities for a quantum state on an $N$-qudit system or measurement outcomes on it that apply to an adversarial setup, where an adversary prepares the quantum state. Our one-sided concentration inequalities for a quantum state require the $N$-qudit system to be permutation invariant and are thus de-Finetti type, but they are tighter than the one previously obtained. We show that the bound can further be tightened if each qudit system has an additional symmetry. Furthermore, our concentration inequality for the outcomes of independent and identical measurements on an $N$-qudit quantum system has no assumption on the adversarial quantum state and is much tighter than the conventional one obtained through Azuma's inequality. We numerically demonstrate the tightness of our bounds in simple quantum information processing tasks.

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arXiv2024

Scalable Timing Coordination of Bell State Analyzers in Quantum Networks

The optical Bell State Analyzer (BSA) plays a key role in the optical generation of entanglement in quantum networks. The optical BSA is effective in controlling the timing of arriving photons to achieve interference. It is unclear whether timing synchronization is possible even in multi-hop and complex large-scale networks, and if so, how efficient it is. We investigate the scalability of BSA synchronization mechanisms over multiple hops for quantum networks both with and without memory in each node. We first focus on the exchange of entanglement between two network nodes via a BSA, especially effective methods of optical path coordination in achieving the simultaneous arrival of photons at the BSA. In optical memoryless quantum networks, including repeater graph state networks, we see that the quantum optical path coordination works well, though some possible timing coordination mechanisms have effects that cascade to adjacent links and beyond, some of which was not going to work well of timing coordination. We also discuss the effect of quantum memory, given that end-to-end extension of entangled states through multi-node entanglement exchange is essential for the practical application of quantum networks. Finally, cycles of all-optical links in the network topology are shown to may not be to synchronize, this property should be taken into account when considering synchronization in large networks.

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arXiv2024

Fine residual stress distribution measurement of steel materials by SOI pixel detector with synchrotron X-rays

Residual stress is an important factor governing evaluating and controlling the quality of metal materials in industrial products. X-ray measurements provide one of the most effective means of evaluating residual stress without destruction. In such measurements, the effects of residual stress on the crystal structure can be observed through the Debye ring deformation. In previous studies, we developed a residual stress measurement system based on the $cos α$ method, using a two-dimensional (2D) silicon-on-insulator pixel (SOIPIX) detector known as INTPIX4. In a typical laboratory setup, this system requires only 1 second to measure a specified point. This is drastically faster than the conventional system based on the $sin^{2} ψ$ method, which requires more than 10 min, and the $cos α$-based system using an imaging plate, which requires 1 min. Compared to other systems, it can evaluate the 2D distribution of residual stress faster and provide more detailed information for evaluating materials. We first attempted to measure the 2D distribution in a laboratory setup with a Cr X-ray tube (Cr K$α$ 5.4 keV) and obtained satisfactory results. We subsequently took measurements using synchrotron monochromatic X-rays to determine the fine accuracy and fine sampling pitch distribution. In this paper, we report the results of the initial synchrotron experiment, including the residual stress distribution of the standard specimen obtained by the first prototype setup. Furthermore, we compare the synchrotron measurements with those from the laboratory.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Indistinguishability between quantum randomness and pseudo-randomness under efficiently calculable randomness measures

We present a no-go theorem for the distinguishability between quantum random numbers (i.e., random numbers generated quantum mechanically) and pseudo-random numbers (i.e., random numbers generated algorithmically). The theorem states that one cannot distinguish these two types of random numbers if the quantum random numbers are efficiently classically simulatable and the randomness measure used for the distinction is efficiently computable. We derive this theorem by using the properties of cryptographic pseudo-random number generators, which are believed to exist in the field of cryptography. Our theorem is found to be consistent with the analyses on the actual data of quantum random numbers generated by the IBM Quantum and also those obtained in the Innsbruck experiment for the Bell test, where the degrees of randomness of these two set of quantum random numbers turn out to be essentially indistinguishable from those of the corresponding pseudo-random numbers. Previous observations on the algorithmic randomness of quantum random numbers are also discussed and reinterpreted in terms of our theorems and data analyses.

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arXiv2023

Refined finite-size analysis of binary-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Recent studies showed the finite-size security of binary-modulation CV-QKD protocols against general attacks. However, they gave poor key-rate scaling against transmission distance. Here, we extend the security proof based on complementarity, which is used in the discrete-variable QKD, to the previously developed binary-modulation CV-QKD protocols with the reverse reconciliation under the finite-size regime and obtain large improvements in the key rates. Notably, the key rate in the asymptotic limit scales linearly against the attenuation rate, which is known to be optimal scaling but is not achieved in previous finite-size analyses. This refined security approach may offer full-fledged security proofs for other discrete-modulation CV-QKD protocols.

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arXiv2023

General treatment of Gaussian trusted noise in continuous variable quantum key distribution

Continuous Variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) is a promising candidate for practical implementations due to its compatibility with the existing communication technology. A trusted device scenario assuming that an adversary has no access to imperfections such as electronic noises in the detector is expected to provide significant improvement in the key rate, but such an endeavor so far was made separately for specific protocols and for specific proof techniques. Here, we develop a simple and general treatment that can incorporate the effects of Gaussian trusted noises for any protocol that uses homodyne/heterodyne measurements. In our method, a rescaling of the outcome of a noisy homodyne/heterodyne detector renders it equivalent to the outcome of a noiseless detector with a tiny additional loss, thanks to a noise-loss equivalence well-known in quantum optics. Since this method is independent of protocols and security proofs, it is applicable to Gaussian-modulation and discrete-modulation protocols, to the finite-size regime, and to any proof techniques developed so far and yet to be discovered as well.

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arXiv2022

Finite-size security proof of binary-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution using only heterodyne measurement

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) has many practical advantages including compatibility with current optical communication technology. Implementation using heterodyne measurements is particularly attractive since it eliminates the need for active phase locking of the remote pair of local oscillators, but the full security of CV QKD with discrete modulation was only proved for a protocol using homodyne measurements. Here we propose an all-heterodyne CV-QKD protocol with binary modulation and prove its security against general attacks in the finite-key regime. Although replacing a homodyne measurement with a heterodyne measurement would be naively expected to incur a 3-dB penalty in the rate-distance curve, our proof achieves a key rate with only a 1-dB penalty.

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arXiv2021

Numerical Method for Finite-size Security Analysis of Quantum Key Distribution

Quantum key distribution (QKD) establishes secure links between remote communication parties. As a key problem for various QKD protocols, security analysis gives the amount of secure keys regardless of the eavesdropper's computational power, which can be done both analytically and numerically. Compared to analytical methods which tend to require techniques specific to each QKD protocol, numerical ones are more general since they can be directly applied to many QKD protocols without additional techniques. However, current numerical methods are carried out based on some assumptions such as working in asymptotic limit and collective attacks from eavesdroppers. In this work, we remove these assumptions and develop a numerical finite-size security analysis against general attacks for general QKD protocols. We also give an example of applying the method to the recent Phase-Matching QKD protocol with a simple protocol design. Our result shows that the finite-size key rate can surpass the linear key-rate bound in a realistic communication time.

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arXiv2020

Finite-size security of continuous-variable quantum key distribution with digital signal processing

In comparison to conventional discrete-variable (DV) quantum key distribution (QKD), continuous-variable (CV) QKD with homodyne/heterodyne measurements has distinct advantages of lower-cost implementation and affinity to wavelength division multiplexing. On the other hand, its continuous nature makes it harder to accommodate to practical signal processing, which is always discretized, leading to lack of complete security proofs so far. Here we propose a tight and robust method of estimating fidelity of an optical pulse to a coherent state via heterodyne measurements. We then construct a binary phase modulated CV QKD protocol and prove its security in the finite-key-size regime against general coherent attacks, based on proof techniques of DV QKD. Such a complete security proof achieves a significant milestone in exploiting the benefits of CV QKD.

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arXiv2019

Secure random number generation from parity symmetric radiations

The random number generators (RNGs) are an indispensable tool in cryptography. Of various types of RNG method, those using radiations from nuclear decays (radioactive RNG) has a relatively long history but their security has never been discussed rigorously in the literature. In this paper we propose a new method of the radioactive RNG that admits a simple and rigorous proof of security. The security proof is made possible here by exploiting the parity (space inversion) symmetry arising in the device, which has previously been unfocused but is generically available for a nuclide which decays by parity-conserving interactions.

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arXiv2019

Quantum key distribution with simply characterized light sources

To guarantee the security of quantum key distribution (QKD), several assumptions on light sources must be satisfied. For example, each random bit information is precisely encoded on an optical pulse and the photon-number probability distribution of the pulse is exactly known. Unfortunately, however, it is hard to check if all the assumptions are really met in practice, and it is preferable that we have minimal number of device assumptions. In this paper, we adopt the differential-phase-shift (DPS) QKD protocol and drastically mitigate the requirements on light sources. Specifically, we only assume the independence among emitted pulses, the independence of the vacuum emission probability from a chosen bit, and upper bounds on the tail distribution function of the total photon number in a single block of pulses for single, two and three photons. Remarkably, no other detailed characterizations, such as the amount of phase modulation, are required. Our security proof significantly relaxes demands for light sources, which paves a route to guarantee implementation security with simple verification of the devices.

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arXiv2019

Blind quantum computation with a heralded single photon source

Blind quantum computation is a scheme that adds unconditional security to cloud quantum computation. In the protocol proposed by Broadbent, Fitzsimons, and Kashefi, the ability to prepare and transmit a single qubit is required for a user (client) who uses a quantum computer remotely. In case a weak coherent pulse is used as a pseudo single photon source, however, we must introduce decoy states, owing to the inherent risk of transmitting multiple photon. In this study, we demonstrate that by using a heralded single photon source and a probabilistic photon number resolving detector, we can gain a higher blind state generation efficiency and longer access distance, owing to noise reduction on account of the heralding signal.

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arXiv2019

Refined security proof of the round-robin differential phase shift quantum key distribution and its improved performance in the finite-sized case

Among many quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, the round-robin differential phase shift (RRDPS) protocol is unique in that it can upper-bound the amount of the information leakage without monitoring the signal disturbance. To expedite implementation of the protocol, however, the number of pulses forming a single block should be kept small, which significantly decreases the key rates in the original security proof. In the present paper, we refine the security proof of the RRDPS protocol in the finite-sized regime and achieve a tighter estimation for the information leakage without changing the original experimental setups. As a consequence, we obtain better key rates in both asymptotic and finite-sized cases while keeping the preferable features of the protocol, such as omission of phase randomization.

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arXiv2018

Quantum key distribution with an efficient countermeasure against correlated intensity fluctuations in optical pulses

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.

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