Implementation Challenges in Quantum Key Distribution

TL;DR

This paper explores the practical implementation of quantum key distribution protocols BB84 and E91 on IBM Quantum hardware, addressing challenges and proposing SX gate operations for secure quantum communication.

Contribution

It compares two QKD protocols in real quantum environments and introduces SX gate operations to improve quantum state generation.

Findings

Successful implementation of BB84 and E91 on IBM Quantum hardware

Evaluation of entropy, IID, and error rates in QKD protocols

Demonstrates feasibility and challenges of practical quantum key distribution

Abstract

In recent years, quantum computing technologies have steadily matured and have begun to find practical applications across various domains. One important area is network communication security, where Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enables communicating parties to establish a shared secret that can then be used to generate symmetric keys for subsequent encryption and decryption. This study focuses on implementing and comparing two well-known QKD protocols, namely BB84 and E91, within an actual quantum computing environment. It also proposes the use of SX gate operations to generate uniform quantum superposition states. By leveraging the properties of quantum superposition and quantum entanglement, the study illustrates how communicating parties can securely obtain a shared secret while preventing adversaries from intercepting it. The experiments are conducted using the IBM Quantum Platform to demonstrate the feasibility of the BB84 and E91 protocols on actual quantum hardware. The evaluation considers several metrics, including entropy, Independent and Identically Distributed (IID), and error-rate verifications.