Quantum Key Distribution with a Hand-held Sender Unit

TL;DR

This paper presents a portable, hand-held quantum key distribution system using integrated photonics, capable of secure key exchange over short distances with high stability and user-friendliness, suitable for integration into various free-space communication platforms.

Contribution

The work introduces a novel, compact hand-held QKD device with real-time beam tracking and alignment, demonstrating practical secure communication by untrained users over short distances.

Findings

Achieved stable QKD operation over half-meter hand-held links.

Attained average secret key rates up to 15.3 kbps.

Maintained low QBER of 2.4% during tests.

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a crucial component for truly secure communication, which enables to analyze leakage of information due to eavesdropper attacks. While impressive progress was made in the field of long-distance implementations, user-oriented applications involving short-distance links have mostly remained overlooked. Recent technological advances in integrated photonics now enable developments towards QKD also for existing hand-held communication platforms. In this work we report on the design and evaluation of a hand-held free-space QKD system including a micro-optics based sender unit. This system implements the BB84-protocol employing polarization-encoded faint laser pulses at a rate of 100 MHz. Unidirectional beam tracking and live reference-frame alignment systems at the receiver side enable a stable operation over tens of seconds when aiming the portable transmitter to the receiver input by hand from a distance of about half a meter. The user-friendliness of our system was confirmed by successful key exchanges performed by different untrained users with an average link efficiency of about 20 % relative to the case of the transmitter being stationarily mounted and aligned. In these tests we achieve an average quantum bit error ratio (QBER) of 2.4 % and asymptotic secret key rates ranging from 4.0 kbps to 15.3 kbps. Given its compactness, the versatile sender optics is also well suited for integration into other free-space communication systems enabling QKD over any distance.