Joint Encryption and Error Correction for Secure Quantum Communication

TL;DR

This paper introduces an integrated quantum communication protocol that combines encryption and error correction into a single process, reducing overhead and enabling secure, error-resilient quantum data transmission.

Contribution

It presents the first combined encryption and error correction protocol for secure quantum communication using CSS codes within a three-stage protocol.

Findings

Enables arbitrary qubit transmission with integrated security and error correction.

Reduces overhead compared to separate encryption and error correction processes.

Provides a general-purpose, secure quantum communication method.

Abstract

Secure quantum networks are a bedrock requirement for developing a future quantum internet. However, quantum channels are susceptible to channel noise that introduce errors in the transmitted data. The traditional approach to providing error correction typically encapsulates the message in an error correction code after encryption. Such separate processes incur overhead that must be avoided when possible. We, consequently, provide a single integrated process that allows for encryption as well as error correction. This is a first attempt to do so for secure quantum communication and combines the Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) code with the three-stage secure quantum communication protocol. Lastly, it allows for arbitrary qubits to be transmitted from sender to receiver making the proposed protocol general purpose.