Receiver-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum key distribution protocol that is secure even when the receiver's device is untrusted, using limited assumptions on the sender's states and enabling practical implementation with off-the-shelf equipment.

Contribution

It proposes a receiver-device-independent QKD protocol that does not require explicit Hilbert space bounds and demonstrates its feasibility with experimental results.

Findings

Positive key rate over 4.8 km fiber demonstrated

Protocol is immune to receiver device attacks like blinding

Continuous device monitoring ensures security

Abstract

We present protocols for quantum key distribution in a prepare-and-measure setup with an asymmetric level of trust. While the device of the sender (Alice) is partially characterized, the receiver's (Bob's) device is treated as a black-box. The security of the protocols is based on the assumption that Alice's prepared states have limited overlaps, but no explicit bound on the Hilbert space dimension is required. The protocols are immune to attacks on the receiver's device, such as blinding attacks. The users can establish a secret key while continuously monitoring the correct functioning of their devices through observed statistics. We report a proof-of-principle demonstration, involving mostly off-the-shelf equipment, as well as a high-efficiency superconducting nanowire detector. A positive key rate is demonstrated over a 4.8 km low-loss optical fiber with finite-key analysis. The prospects of implementing these protocols over longer distances is discussed.