Efficiency in Quantum Key Distribution Protocols using entangled Gaussian states

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that secure quantum key distribution can be achieved efficiently using entangled Gaussian states, even when these states are bound entangled and cannot be distilled with Gaussian operations.

Contribution

It shows that secret keys can be efficiently distilled from entangled Gaussian states despite their bound entanglement and limitations of Gaussian operations.

Findings

Quantum key distribution is possible with NPPT symmetric Gaussian states.

Efficient secret key distillation is achievable from bound entangled Gaussian states.

Security holds against finite coherent and individual attacks.

Abstract

Efficiency is a key issue in any real implementation of a cryptographic protocol since the physical resources are not unlimited. We will first show that Quantum Key Distribution is possible with an "Entanglement based" scheme with NPPT symmetric Gaussian states in spite of the fact that these systems cannot be distilled with Gaussian operations (they are all bound entangled). In this work we analyze the secrecy properties of Gaussian states under Gaussian operations. Although such operations are useless for quantum distillation, we prove that it is possible to distill efficiently a secret key secure against finite coherent attacks from sufficiently entangled Gaussian states with non-positive partial transposition. Moreover, all such states allow for efficient key distillation, when the eavesdropper is assumed to perform individual attacks before in an efficient way.