Secure Quantum Communication: Simulation and Analysis of Quantum Key Distribution Protocols

TL;DR

This paper analyzes quantum key distribution protocols using simulation to evaluate their performance and practical challenges, supporting their potential for secure quantum communication.

Contribution

It provides a simulation-based analysis of BB84, B92, and E91 protocols with realistic quantum channel effects using IBM Qiskit, highlighting practical implementation challenges.

Findings

QKD protocols show promise for secure communication despite hardware limitations.

Simulation results demonstrate the impact of noise and decoherence on key metrics.

Insights into scalability and robustness of quantum communication systems are discussed.

Abstract

Quantum computing poses significant threats to conventional cryptographic techniques such as RSA and AES, motivating the need for quantum secure communication methods. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers information theoretic security based on fundamental quantum principles. This paper presents a simulation-based analysis of well-known QKD protocols, namely BB84, B92, and E91, using the IBM Qiskit framework. Realistic quantum channel effects, including noise, decoherence, and eavesdropping, are modeled to evaluate protocol performance. Key metrics such as error rate, secret key generation, and security characteristics are analyzed and compared. The study highlights practical challenges in QKD implementation, including hardware limitations and channel losses, and discusses insights toward scalable and robust quantum communication systems. The results support the feasibility of QKD as a promising solution for secure communication in the quantum era.