Asymmetric Protocols for Scalable High-Rate Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces asymmetric protocols for scalable, high-rate measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution networks that adapt to varying channel losses and support dynamic user addition and removal.

Contribution

It proposes a novel protocol allowing users to independently optimize their intensity settings, enabling scalable and flexible quantum networks with high key rates.

Findings

Protocols effectively compensate for different channel losses.

Supports dynamic addition and deletion of users.

Maintains high key rates in scalable networks.

Abstract

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) can eliminate detector side channels and prevent all attacks on detectors. The future of MDI-QKD is a quantum network that provides service to many users over untrusted relay nodes. In a real quantum network, the losses of various channels are different and users are added and deleted over time. To adapt to these features, we propose a type of protocols that allow users to independently choose their optimal intensity settings to compensate for different channel losses. Such protocol enables a scalable high-rate MDI-QKD network that can easily be applied for channels of different losses and allows users to be dynamically added/deleted at any time without affecting the performance of existing users.