Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Quantum communication Cryptography'

Three quantum cryptographic protocols of multiuser quantum networks with embedded authentication, allowing quantum key distribution or quantum direct communication, are discussed in this work. The security of the protocols against different types of attacks is analysed with a focus on various impersonation attacks and the man-in-the-middle attack. On the basis of the security analyses several improvements are suggested and implemented in order to adjust the investigated vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the impact of the eavesdropping test procedure on impersonation attacks is outlined. The framework of a general eavesdropping test is proposed to provide additional protection against security risks in impersonation attacks.
In der Diplomarbeit werden drei verschiedene quantenkryptographische Protokolle mit dem Schwerpunkt auf authentifizierten Quantennetzwerken analysiert. Die Sicherheit der Protokolle gegenüber verschiedenen Angriffen wird untersucht, wobei der Fokus auf kompletten Personifikationsattacken („impersonation attacks“) liegt. Auf Basis der Sicherheitsanalyse und den Netzwerkanforderungen werden entsprechende Verbesserungen vorgeschlagen. Um die Gefahr von Personifikationen realistisch abschätzen zu können, wird außerdem der Einfluss des Testablaufs analysiert. Um zusätzlichen Schutz gegen Personifikationsattacken zu gewährleisten, werden die Rahmenbedingungen für eine allgemeine Testspezifikation festgelegt.

Quantum communication protocols invoke one of the most fundamentallaws of quantum mechanics, namely the superposition principle whichleads to the no-cloning theorem. During the last three decades, quantumcryptography have gone from prospective theories to practical implementationsscalable for real communication. Scientist from all over the world havecontributed to this major progress, starting from Stephen Wiesner, CharlesH. Bennett and Gilles Brassard who all developed the theory of QuantumKey Distribution (QKD). QKD lets two users share a key through a quantumchannel (free space or fiber link) under unconditionally secure circumstances.They can use this key to encode a message which they thereaftershare through a public channel (internet, telephone,...). Research developmentshave gone from the ordinary 2-User Quantum Key Distribution oververy small free space distances to distances over 200 km in optical fiber andQuantum Key Distribution Networks.As great experimental achievements have been made regarding QKDprotocols, a new quantum communication protocol have been developed,namely Quantum Secret Sharing. Quantum Secret Sharing is an extensionof an old cryptography scheme called Secret Sharing. The aim of secretsharing is to split a secret amongst a set of users in such a way that thesecret is only revealed if every user of this set is ready to collaborate andshare their part of the secret with other users.We have developed a 5-User QKD Network through birefringent singlemode fiber in two configurations. One being a Tree configuration and theother being a Star configuration. In both cases, the number of users, thedistances between them and the stability of our setup are all well competitivewith the current worldwide research involving similar work.We have also developed a Single Qubit Quantum Secret Sharing schemewith phase encoding through single mode fiber with 3, 4 and 5 parties. Thelatter is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time a 5-Party Single QubitQuantum Secret Sharing experiment has been realized.

Thesis (M. S.)--Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
Committee Chair: Kuzmich, Alex; Committee Member: Chapman, Michael; Committee Member: Citrin, David; Committee Member: Kennedy, T. A. Brian; Committee Member: Raman, Chandra

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007.
Kennedy, Brian, Committee Member ; Chapman, Michael, Committee Member ; Kuzmich, Alex, Committee Chair ; Raman, Chandra, Committee Member ; Voss, Paul, Committee Member.

Diese Dissertation behandelt die Kodierung und Verschickung von Information durch einen Quantenkanal. Ein Quantenkanal besteht aus einem quantenmechanischen System, welches vom Sender manipuliert und vom Empfänger ausgelesen werden kann. Dabei repräsentiert der individuelle Zustand des Kanals die Nachricht.

Die zwei Themen der Dissertation umfassen 1) die Möglichkeit, eine Nachricht in einem Quantenkanal verlustfrei zu komprimieren und 2) die Möglichkeit eine Nachricht von einer Partei zu einer einer anderen direkt und auf sichere Weise zu übermitteln, d.h. ohne dass es einer dritte Partei möglich ist, die Nachricht abzuhören und dabei unerkannt zu bleiben.

Die wesentlichen Ergebnisse der Dissertation sind die folgenden.
Ein allgemeiner Formalismus für Quantencodes mit variabler Länge wird ausgearbeitet. Diese Codes sind notwendig um verlustfreie Kompression zu ermöglichen. Wegen der Quantennatur des Kanals sind die codierten Nachrichten allgemein in einer Superposition von verschiedenen Längen. Es zeigt sich, daß es unmöglich ist eine Quantennachricht verlustfrei zu komprimieren, wenn diese dem Sender nicht apriori bekannt ist. Im anderen Falle wird die Möglichkeit verlustfreier Quantenkompression gezeigt und eine untere Schranke für die Kompressionsrate abgeleitet. Des weiteren wird ein expliziter Kompressionsalgorithmus konstruiert, der für beliebig vorgegebene Ensembles aus Quantennachrichten funktioniert.

Ein quantenkryptografisches Prokoll - das “Ping-Pong Protokoll” - wird vorgestellt, welches die sichere direkte übertragung von klassischen Nachrichten durch einen Quantenkanal ermöglicht. Die Sicherheit des Protokolls gegen beliebige Abhörangriffe wird bewiesen für den Fall eines idealen Quantenkanals. Im Gegensatz zu anderen quantenkryptografischen Verfahren ist das Ping-Pong Protokoll deterministisch und kann somit sowohl für die Übermittlung eines zufälligen Schlüssels als auch einer komponierten Nachricht verwendet werden. Das Protokoll is perfekt sicher für die Übertragung eines Schlüssels und quasi-sicher für die direkte Übermittlung einer Nachricht. Letzteres bedeutet, dass die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines erfolgreichen Abhörangriffs exponenziell mit der Länge der Nachricht abnimmt.
This thesis deals with the encoding and transmission of information through a quantum channel. A quantum channel is a quantum mechanical system whose state is manipulated by a sender and read out by a receiver. The individual state of the channel represents the message.

The two topics of the thesis comprise 1) the possibility of compressing a message stored in a quantum channel without loss of information and 2) the possibility to communicate a message directly from one party to another in a secure manner, that is, a third party is not able to eavesdrop the message without being detected.

The main results of the thesis are the following.
A general framework for variable-length quantum codes is worked out. These codes are necessary to make lossless compression possible. Due to the quantum nature of the channel, the encoded messages are in general in a superposition of different lengths. It is found to be impossible to compress a quantum message without loss of information if the message is not apriori known to the sender. In the other case it is shown that lossless quantum data compression is possible and a lower bound on the compression rate is derived. Furthermore, an explicit compression scheme is constructed that works for arbitrarily given source message ensembles.

A quantum cryptographic protocol - the “ping-pong protocol” - is presented that realizes the secure direct communication of classical messages through a quantum channel. The security of the protocol against arbitrary eavesdropping attacks is proven for the case of an ideal quantum channel. In contrast to other quantum cryptographic protocols, the ping-pong protocol is deterministic and can thus be used to transmit a random key as well as a composed message.
The protocol is perfectly secure for the transmission of a key, and it is quasi-secure for the direct transmission of a message. The latter means that the probability of successful eavesdropping exponentially decreases with the length of the message.

This thesis encompasses a body of experimental work on the use of structured light in quantum cryptographic protocols. In particular, we investigate the ability to perform quantum key distribution through various quantum channels (fibre, free-space, underwater) in laboratory and realistic conditions. We first demonstrate that a special type of optical fibre (vortex fibre) capable of coherently transmitting vector vortex modes is a viable quantum channel. Next, we describe the first demonstration of high-dimensional quantum cryptography using structured photons in an urban setting. In particular, the prevalence of atmospheric turbulence can introduce many errors to a transmitted key; however, we are still able to transmit more information per carrier using a 4-dimensional scheme in comparison to a 2-dimensional one. Lastly, we investigate the possibility of performing secure quantum communication with twisted photons in an uncontrolled underwater channel. We find that though it is possible for low-dimensional schemes, high-dimensional schemes suffer from underwater turbulence without the use of corrective wavefront techniques.

In this thesis we study device-independent quantum key distribution based on energy-time entanglement. This is a method for cryptography that promises not only perfect secrecy, but also to be a practical method for quantum key distribution thanks to the reduced complexity when compared to other quantum key distribution protocols. However, there still exist a number of loopholes that must be understood and eliminated in order to rule out eavesdroppers. We study several relevant loopholes and show how they can be used to break the security of energy-time entangled systems. Attack strategies are reviewed as well as their countermeasures, and we show how full security can be re-established. Quantum key distribution is in part based on the profound no-cloning theorem, which prevents physical states to be copied at a microscopic level. This important property of quantum mechanics can be seen as Nature's own copy-protection, and can also be used to create a currency based on quantummechanics, i.e., quantum money. Here, the traditional copy-protection mechanisms of traditional coins and banknotes can be abandoned in favor of the laws of quantum physics. Previously, quantum money assumes a traditional hierarchy where a central, trusted bank controls the economy. We show how quantum money together with a blockchain allows for Quantum Bitcoin, a novel hybrid currency that promises fast transactions, extensive scalability, and full anonymity.
En viktig konsekvens av kvantmekaniken är att okända kvanttillstånd inte kan klonas. Denna insikt har gett upphov till kvantkryptering, en metod för två parter att med perfekt säkerhet kommunicera hemligheter. Ett komplett bevis för denna säkerhet har dock låtit vänta på sig eftersom en attackerare i hemlighet kan manipulera utrustningen så att den läcker information. Som ett svar på detta utvecklades apparatsoberoende kvantkryptering som i teorin är immun mot sådana attacker. Apparatsoberoende kvantkryptering har en mycket högre grad av säkerhet än vanlig kvantkryptering, men det finns fortfarande ett par luckor som en attackerare kan utnyttja. Dessa kryphål har tidigare inte tagits på allvar, men denna avhandling visar hur även små svagheter i säkerhetsmodellen läcker information till en attackerare. Vi demonstrerar en praktisk attack där attackeraren aldrig upptäcks trots att denne helt kontrollerar systemet. Vi visar också hur kryphålen kan förhindras med starkare säkerhetsbevis. En annan tillämpning av kvantmekanikens förbud mot kloning är pengar som använder detta naturens egna kopieringsskydd. Dessa kvantpengar har helt andra egenskaper än vanliga mynt, sedlar eller digitala banköverföringar. Vi visar hur man kan kombinera kvantpengar med en blockkedja, och man får då man en slags "kvant-Bitcoin". Detta nya betalningsmedel har fördelar över alla andra betalsystem, men nackdelen är att det krävs en kvantdator.

Cyber attacks happen on a daily basis, where criminals can aim to disrupt internet services or in other cases try to get hold of sensitive data. Fortunately, there are systems in place to protect these services. And one can rest assured that communication channels and data are secured under well-studied cryptographic schemes. Still, a new class of computation power is on the rise, namely quantum computation. Companies such as Google and IBM have in recent time invested in research regarding quantum computers. In 2019, Google announced that they had achieved quantum supremacy. A quantum computer could in theory break the currently most popular schemes that are used to secure communication. Whether quantum computers will be available in the forseeable future, or at all, is still uncertain. Nonetheless, the implication of a practical quantum computer calls for a new class of crypto schemes; schemes that will remain secure in a post-quantum era. Since 2016 researchers within the field of cryptography have been developing post-quantum cryptographic schemes. One specific branch within this area is lattice-based cryptography. Lattice-based schemes base their security on underlying hard lattice problems, for which there are no currently known efficient algorithms that can solve them. Neither with quantum, nor classical computers. A promising scheme that builds upon these types of problems is Kyber. The aforementioned scheme, as well as its competitors, work efficiently on most computers. However, they still demand a substantial amount of computation power, which is not always available. Some devices are constructed to operate with low power, and are computationally limited to begin with. This group of constrained devices, includes smart cards and microcontrollers, which also need to adopt the post-quantum crypto schemes. Consequently, there is a need to explore how well Kyber and its relatives work on these low power devices. In this thesis, a variant of the cryptographic scheme Kyber is implemented and evaluated on an Infineon smart card. The implementation replaces the scheme’s polynomial multiplication technique, NTT, with Kronecker substitution. In the process, the cryptographic co-processor on the card is leveraged to perform Kronecker substitution efficiently. Moreover, the scheme’s original functionality for sampling randomness is replaced with the card’s internal TRNG. The results show that an IND-CPA secure variant of Kyber can be implemented on the smart card, at the cost of segmenting the IND-CPA functions. All in all, key generation, encryption, and decryption take 23.7 s, 30.9 s and 8.6 s to execute respectively. This shows that the thesis work is slower than implementations of post-quantum crypto schemes on similarly constrained devices.

Die Quantenschlüsselverteilung (QKD), die erste anwendbare Quantentechnologie, verspricht informationstheoretisch sichere Kommunikation. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde das Zeit-Frequenz (TF)-QKD-Protokoll untersucht, das Zeit und Frequenz, nämlich Puls-Positionsmodulation (PPM) im Zeitbereich und Frequenzumtastung (FSK) im Frequenzbereich als die beiden komplementären Basen verwendet. Seine Sicherheit beruht den Quanteneigenschaften von Licht und auf der Zeit-Frequenz-Unschärferelation. TF-QKD kann mit größtenteils Standard-Telekommunikationstechnologie im 1550-nm-Band implementiert werden. Die PPM-Basis kann mit Modulatoren und die FSK-Basis mit Hilfe der Wellenlängenmultiplex-Technologie realisiert werden. Das TF-QKD-Protokoll ist in der Lage, ein beliebig großes Alphabet bereitzustellen, was mehr als 1 bit/Photon ermöglicht. Darüber hinaus ist es robust gegenüber athmosphärischen Störungen und somit für die Übertragung über den Freiraumkanal geeignet. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird das TF-QKD-Protokoll theoretisch bewertet, mit Standardkomponenten für 1 bit/Photon implementiert und die Freiraumübertragung mit optischem Tracking über eine 388 m Teststrecke wird bei Tageslicht demonstriert. Unter Verwendung der vorhandenen Komponenten konnte eine sichere Schlüsselrate von 364 kbit/s back-to-back und 9 kbit/s über den Freiraumkanal demonstriert werden.
Quantum key distribution (QKD), the first applicable quantum technology, promises information theoretically secure communication. In the presented work the time-frequency (TF)-QKD protocol was examined, which uses time and frequency, namely pulse position modulation (PPM) in the time domain and frequency shift keying (FSK) in the frequency domain as the two complementary bases. Its security relies on the quantum properties of light and the time-frequency uncertainty relation. TF-QKD can be implemented mostly with standard telecom-technology in the 1550 nm band. The PPM basis can be implemented with modulators and the FSK basis with help of wavelength-division multiplexing technology. The TF-QKD protocol is capable of providing an arbitrarily large alphabet enabling more than 1 bit/photon. Moreover, it is robust in the atmosphere making it suitable for transmission over the free-space channel. In the present work the TF-QKD protocol is assessed theoretically, implemented with off-the-shelf components for 1 bit/photon and free-space transmission with optical tracking over a 388 m testbed is demonstrated in daylight. Using components at hand, secret key rates of 364 kbit/s back-to-back and 9 kbit/s over the free-space channel could be demonstrated.

Dans cette thèse, j’étudie une primitive cryptographique appelée distribution quantique de clés. La distribution quantique de clés permet à deux parties distantes de partager une clé secrète en présence d’une espion, dont la puissance est seulement limité par les lois de la physique quantique. J’ai concentré mon travail de thèse sur la distribution quantique de clés à variables continues et en particulier, sur l’étude pratique d’implémentations. J’ai proposé et étudié théoriquement une attaque par canaux cachés originale, visant les détecteurs : l’attaque par saturation. Nous avons de plus démontré expérimentalement la faisabilité de cette attaque sur un système de la distribution quantique de clés à variables continues dans notre laboratoire. Enfin, nous avons en outre démontré expérimentalement pour la première fois la faisabilité du déploiement d’un système de la distribution quantique de clés à variables continues dans un réseau optique du multiplexage en longueur d’onde dense
In this thesis, I study a cryptographic primitive called quantum key distribution which allows two remote parties to share a secret key, in the presence of an eavesdropper, whose power is only limited by the laws of quantum physics. I focus my study on the implementation and the practical security of continuousvariable protocols. For the first time, I have proposed and studied a detector-based side channel attack on a continuous-variable system : saturation attack. This attack opens a new security loophole that we have characterized experimentally in our laboratory, on a real continuous-variable system. Finally, we have demonstrated experimentally for the first time the feasibility of a continuous-variable system deployment in a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing network, where quantum signals coexist with intense classical signals in a same fiber

Mestrado em Engenharia Física
No trabalho apresentado, estudamos criptografia quântica, nomeadamente formas de geração, transmissão e detecção de pares de fotões entrelaçados. Para uma melhor compreensão dos processos e fenómenos que estão na sua base, abordamos o paradoxo de Einstein, Podolsky e Rosen (EPR) e a teoria de Bell. Estas teorias possibilitaram-nos investigar sobre a natureza física, local ou não local a nível quântico, tendo sido as respostas obtidas essenciais para a segurança e confidencialidade na transmissão de dados. Depois, exploramos os vários tipos de processos de geração de fotões entrelaçados, concentrando-nos num tipo de processo em particular, a mistura de quatro ondas. Com a base teórica já estabelecida, apresentamos uma montagem experimental na qual geramos, transmitimos e detectamos fotões entrelaçados através da mistura espontânea de quatro ondas. Após uma descrição pormenorizada da montagem experimental, focando nas várias etapas e de algumas particularidades da experiência realizada, apresentamos os resultados obtidos. Nesta experiência usámos 2 tipos de fibras: uma fibra com o zero de dispersão deslocado (DSF) e uma fibra altamente não linear (HNLF), comparando e analisando as diferenças entre elas e a sua contribuição para a experiência em causa. Por fim, apresentamos as conclusões deste trabalho e também o trabalho que poderá ser realizado no futuro.
In the present thesis, we study quantum cryptography, namely the generation processes and, how we can transmit and detect entangled photon pairs. To understand the processes and phenomena which leads us to the core of our work, we look at the Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen paradox (EPR), and the Bell theory for answers. These two theories give us the means to question the locality or nonlocality of physical reality regarding quantum systems, which is of the utmost importance when we consider information security in data transmission. With this, we present several processes to generate entangled photon pairs, focusing on one in particular, Four-Wave Mixing (FWM). With the theoretical groundwork laid out, we present our setup to create, transmit and detect entangled photon pairs using spontaneous four-wave mixing. After a detailed description of our setup, describing the purpose and importance of each stage, we present the obtained results. In this experiment, we use two fibers: a Dispersion-Shifted Fiber (DSF) and a highly nonlinear fiber Highly Nonlinear Fiber (HNLF), comparing the results reached with each fiber. In the final chapter, we present our conclusions and the work that can be done in the near future.

This doctoral thesis summarizes research in quantum cryptography done at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) from 1998 through 2007.

The opening parts contain a brief introduction into quantum cryptography as well as an overview of all existing single photon detection techniques for visible and near infrared light. Then, our implementation of a fiber optic quantum key distribution (QKD) system is described. We employ a one-way phase coding scheme with a 1310 nm attenuated laser source and a polarization-maintaining Mach-Zehnder interferometer. A feature of our scheme is that it tracks phase drift in the interferometer at the single photon level instead of employing hardware phase control measures. An optimal phase tracking algorithm has been developed, implemented and tested. Phase tracking accuracy of +-10 degrees is achieved when approximately 200 photon counts are collected in each cycle of adjustment. Another feature of our QKD system is that it uses a single photon detector based on a germanium avalanche photodiode gated at 20 MHz. To make possible this relatively high gating rate, we have developed, implemented and tested an afterpulse blocking technique, when a number of gating pulses is blocked after each registered avalanche. This technique allows to increase the key generation rate nearly proportionally to the increase of the gating rate. QKD has been demonstrated in the laboratory setting with only a very limited success: by the time of the thesis completion we had malfunctioning components in the setup, and the quantum bit error rate remained unstable with its lowest registered value of about 4%.

More than half of the thesis is devoted to various security aspects of QKD. We have studied several attacks that exploit component imperfections and loopholes in optical schemes. In a large pulse attack, settings of modulators inside Alice's and Bob's setups are read out by external interrogating light pulses, without interacting with quantum states and without raising security alarms. An external measurement of phase shift at Alice's phase modulator in our setup has been demonstrated experimentally. In a faked states attack, Eve intercepts Alice's qubits and then utilizes various optical imperfections in Bob's scheme to construct and resend light pulses in such a way that Bob does not distinguish his detection results from normal, whereas they give Bob the basis and bit value chosen at Eve's discretion. Construction of such faked states using several different imperfections is discussed. Also, we sketch a practical workflow of breaking into a running quantum cryptolink for the two abovementioned classes of attacks. A special attention is paid to a common imperfection when sensitivity of Bob's two detectors relative to one another can be controlled by Eve via an external parameter, for example via the timing of the incoming pulse. This imperfection is illustrated by measurements on two different single photon detectors. Quantitative results for a faked states attack on the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) and the Scarani-Acin-Ribordy-Gisin 2004 (SARG04) protocols using this imperfection are obtained. It is shown how faked states can in principle be constructed for quantum cryptosystems that use a phase-time encoding, the differential phase shift keying (DPSK) and the Ekert protocols. Furthermore we have attempted to integrate this imperfection of detectors into the general security proof for the BB84 protocol. For all attacks, their applicability to and implications for various known QKD schemes are considered, and countermeasures against the attacks are proposed.

The thesis incorporates published papers [J. Mod. Opt. 48, 2023 (2001)], [Appl. Opt. 43, 4385 (2004)], [J. Mod. Opt. 52, 691 (2005)], [Phys. Rev. A 74, 022313 (2006)], and [quant-ph/0702262].

In dieser Doktorarbeit werden zwei Konzepte der Quanteninformationsverarbeitung realisiert. Der Quantenschlüsselaustausch ist revolutionär, weil er perfekte Sicherheit gewährleistet. Zahlreiche Quantenkryptografieprotokolle wurden schon untersucht. Zwei Probleme bestehen. Zum einen ist es sehr schwer, die Bedingungen herzustellen, die in den Annahmen für perfekte Sicherheit impliziert sind. Zum anderen sind die Reichweiten auf momentan etwa 200 km begrenzt, aufgrund des abnehmenden Signals gegenüber des konstanten Rauschens. Ein Experiment dieser Doktorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem ersten Problem. Insbesondere der übertragene Quantenzustands ist kritisch für die Sicherheit des Verfahrens. Es werden Einzelphotonen von Stickstoff- Fehlstellen-Zentren und zum ersten Mal von Silizium-Fehlstellen-Zentren für einen Quantenschlüsselaustausch mit Hilfe des BB84-Protokolls benutzt. Die Abweichung von idealen Einzelphotonenzuständen sowie deren Bedeutung für die Sicherheit werden analysiert. Die Übertragung von Quantenzuständen via Satellit könnte das Problem der begrenzten Reichweite lösen. Das neue Frequenz-Zeit- Protokoll eignet sich dafür besonders gut. Es wird während dieser Arbeit zum ersten Mal überhaupt implementiert. Umfangreiche Untersuchungen inklusive der Variation wesentlicher experimenteller Parameter geben Aufschluss über die Leistungsfähigkeit und Sicherheit des Protokolls. Außerdem werden elementare Bestandteile eines vollautomatischen Experiments zum Quantenschlüsselaustausch über Glasfasern in der sogenannten Time-bin-Implementierung mit autonomem Sender und Empfänger realisiert. Ein anderes Konzept der Quanteninformationsverarbeitung ist die Herstellung zufälliger Bitfolgen durch den Quantenzufall. Zufällige Bitfolgen haben zahlreiche Anwendungsgebiete in der Kryptografie und der Informatik. Die Realisierung eines Quantenzufallszahlengenerators mit mathematisch beschreibbarer und getesteter Zufälligkeit und hoher Bitrate wird ebenfalls beschrieben.
In this thesis, photonic quantum states are used for experimental realisations of two different concepts of quantum information processing. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is revolutionary because it is the only cryptographic scheme offering unconditional security. Two major problems prevail: Firstly, matching the conditions for unconditional security is challenging, secondly, long distance communication beyond 200 km is very demanding because an increasingly attenuated quantum state starts to fail the competition with constant noise. One experiment accomplished in this thesis is concerned with the first problem. The realisation of the actual quantum state is critical. Single photon states from nitrogen and for the first time also silicon vacancy defect centres are used for a QKD transmission under the BB84 (Bennett and Brassard 1984). The deviation of the used single photon states from the ideal state is thoroughly investigated and the information an eavesdropper obtains due to this deviation is analysed. Transmitting quantum states via satellites is a potential solution to the limited achievable distances in QKD. A novel protocol particularly suited for this is implemented for the first time in this thesis, the frequency-time (FT) protocol. The protocol is thoroughly investigated by varying the experimental parameters over a wide range and by evaluating the impact on the performance and the security. Finally, big steps towards a fully automated fibre-based BB84 QKD experiment in the time-bin implementation with autonomous sender and receiver units are accomplished. Another important concept using quantum mechanical properties as a resource is a quantum random number generator (QRNG). Random numbers are used for various applications in computing and cryptography. A QRNG supplying bits with high and quantifiable randomness at a record-breaking rate is reported and the statistical properties of the random output is thoroughly tested.

La mécanique quantique est sans aucun doute la théorie la mieux vérifiée qui n’a jamais existée. En se retournant vers le passé, nous constatons qu’un siècle de théorie quantique a non seulement changé la perception que nous avons de l’univers dans lequel nous vivons mais aussi est responsable de plusieurs concepts technologiques qui ont le potentiel de révolutionner notre monde.

La présente dissertation a pour but de mettre en avance ces potentiels, tant dans le domaine théorique qu’expérimental. Plus précisément, dans un premier temps, nous étudierons des protocoles de communication quantique et démontrerons que ces protocoles offrent des avantages de sécurité qui n’ont pas d’égaux en communication classique. Dans un deuxième temps nous étudierons trois problèmes spécifiques en clonage quantique ou chaque solution

apportée pourrait, à sa façon, être exploitée dans un problème de communication quantique.

Nous débuterons par décrire de façon théorique le premier protocole de communication quantique qui a pour but la distribution d’une clé secrète entre deux parties éloignées. Ce chapitre nous permettra d’introduire plusieurs concepts et outils théoriques qui seront nécessaires dans les chapitres successifs. Le chapitre suivant servira aussi d’introduction, mais cette fois-ci penché plutôt vers le côté expériemental. Nous présenterons une élégante technique qui nous permettra d’implémenter des protocoles de communication quantique de façon simple. Nous décrirons ensuite des expériences originales de communication quantique basées sur cette technique. Plus précisément, nous introduirons le concept de filtration d’erreur et utiliserons cette technique afin d’implémenter une distribution de clé quantique bruyante qui ne pourrait pas être sécurisé sans cette technique. Nous démontrerons ensuite des expériences implémentant le tirage au sort quantique et d’identification quantique.

Dans un deuxième temps nous étudierons des problèmes de clonage quantique basé sur le formalisme introduit dans le chapitre d’introduction. Puisqu’il ne sera pas toujours possible de prouver l’optimalité de nos solutions, nous introduirons une technique numérique qui nous

permettra de mettre en valeur nos résultats.

Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation physique
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Un des plus grands challenges dans le domaine de l’information quantique est la génération, manipulation et détection de plusieurs qubits sur des micro-puces. On assiste ainsi à un véritable essor des technologies pour l’information quantique et pour transmettre l’information, les photons ont un grand avantage sur les autres systèmes, grâce à leur grande vitesse et leur immunité contre la décohérence.Mon travail de thèse porte sur la conception, fabrication et caractérisation d’une source de photons intriqués en matériaux semiconducteurs d’une très grande compacité. Ce dispositif fonctionne à température ambiante, et émet dans la bande de longueurs d’onde télécom. Après une présentation des concepts fondamentaux (chap. 1), le chap. 2 explique la conception et la fabrication des dispositifs.Le chap. 3 présente les caractérisations opto-électroniques des échantillons pompés électriquement, et le chap. 4 les résultats des mesures de pertes et des caractérisations non-linéaires optiques (génération de seconde harmonique, conversion paramétrique spontanée et reconstruction de l’intensité spectrale jointe). Les chap. 5 et 6 se concentrent sur la caractérisation des états quantiques générés par un dispositif passif (démonstration de l’indiscernabilité et de l’intrication en énergie-temps) et leur utilisation dans un protocole de distribution de clés quantiques multi-utilisateurs (intrication en polarisation). Finalement le travail sur le premier dispositif produisant des pairs de photons dansles longueurs d’onde télécoms, injecté électriquement et fonctionnant à température ambiante est présenté (chap. 7)
One of the main issues in the domain of quantum information and communication is the generation,manipulation and detection of several qubits on a single chip. Several approaches are currentlyinvestigated for the implementation of qubits on different types of physical supports and a varietyof quantum information technologies are under development: for quantum memories, spectacularadvances have been done on trapped atoms and ions, while to transmit information, photons arethe ideal support thanks to their high speed of propagation and their almost immunity againstdecoherence. My thesis work has been focused on the conception, fabrication and characterization ofa miniaturized semiconductor source of entangled photons, working at room temperature and telecomwavelengths. First the theoretical concepts relevant to understand the work are described (chapter1). Then the conception and fabrication procedures are given (chapter 2). Chapter 3 presents theoptoelectronics characterization of the device under electrical pumping, and chapter 4 the resultson the optical losses measurements and the nonlinear optical characterization (second harmonicgeneration, spontaneous parametric down conversion and joint spectral intensity reconstruction).Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the characterization of the quantum state generated by a passive sample(demonstration of indistinguishability and energy-time entanglement) and its utilization in a multiuserquantum key distribution protocol (polarization entanglement). Finally the work on the firstelectrically driven photon pairs source emitting in the telecom range and working at room temperatureis presented (chapter 7)

La portée des communications quantiques est limitée à quelques dizaines de km en raison de l’atténuation dans les fibres. Les répéteurs quantiques (relais quantiques synchronisés par des mémoires quantiques photoniques) furent introduits afin d’accroître ces distances. Or, pour le moment, les mémoires les plus performantes fonctionnent à des longueurs d’onde n’appartenant pas à la bande C télécom. Afin de profiter de ces mémoires, l’utilisation d’interfaces quantiques (milieu non linéaire quadratique) fut proposée comme alternative. En ajoutant ainsi par somme de fréquences un photon de pompe de longueur d’onde appropriée au photon télécom portant l’information, on transfère l’information à une longueur d’onde compatible avec les mémoires, et ceci sans dégradation de l’information portée initialement par le photon télécom. Notre but est ainsi de construire un oscillateur paramétrique optique continu simplement résonant (SRO) qui fournira un faisceau à 1648 nm qui sera sommé en fréquence aux photons télécom à 1536 nm pour transférer l’information vers un photon stockable dans une mémoire à base d’atomes alcalins. Pour transférer efficacement l’information, le SRO doit satisfaire quelques critères : une haute finesse spectrale (largeur de raie ~kHz), une forte puissance (~1W) et une longueur d’onde plus grande que celle du photon télécom à convertir. Pour ce faire, nous utilisons le faisceau non-résonant d’un SRO continu. Le premier travail réalisé dans cette thèse a été de faire la démonstration de la possibilité d’avoir un faisceau à la fois intense et pur spectralement en sortie d’un SRO continu. En réutilisant un SRO déjà développé durant nos travaux antérieurs, nous avons pu stabiliser au niveau du kHz la fréquence du faisceau non résonant à 947 nm (onde signal) de ce SRO, tout en émettant une puissance de plus d’un watt. Ensuite, nous avons conçu le SRO dont le faisceau non résonant à 1648 nm (onde complémentaire) a été stabilisé à court terme en-dessous du kHz avec une puissance de l’ordre du watt. Nous avons ensuite étudié la stabilité à long terme de la longueur d’onde du complémentaire à 1648 nm. Nous avons mesuré des dérives de fréquences de l’ordre de 10 MHz/mn. Ces dérives, venant essentiellement de la cavité de référence sur laquelle le SRO est asservi, peuvent être réduites en contrôlant activement la cavité d’une part, et en utilisant des techniques de stabilisation en fréquence robustes, d’autre part
Long distance quantum communications are limited to few tens of km due to the attenuation of light in telecom fibres. Quantum repeaters (quantum relays synchronized by photonic quantum memories) were introduced in order to increase distances. Or, currently, the most efficient memories do not operate at wavelengths in the telecom C band. In order to take advantage of these memories, the use of quantum interfaces (second order nonlinear medium) was proposed as an alternative. Thus, by adding by sum frequency generation a pump photon at an appropriate wavelength to the telecom photon carrying the information, one transfers the information to a wavelength compatible with these memories, and this with a preservation of the information initially carried by the telecom photon. Our aim is thus to build a continuous-wave singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (cw SRO) which will provide a wave at 1648 nm that will be frequency summed to telecom photons at 1536 nm to transfer the information to a photon storable into alkali atoms based memory. To efficiently transfer the information, the cw SRO has to fulfill some requirements: a high spectral purity (linewidth ~kHz), a high output power (~1 W) and a wavelength longer than that of the telecom photon to be converted. To this aim, we use the non-resonant wave of a cw SRO. The first work done during this thesis was to experimentally prove the possibility to have both high output power and high spectral purity from a cw SRO. By reusing a cw SRO already built during our previous works, we were able to stabilize at the kHz level the frequency of the non-resonant wave at 947 nm (signal wave) of this SRO, with an output power of more than one watt. Then, we built the cw SRO of which non-resonant wave at 1648 nm (idler wave) has been frequency stabilized below the kHz level along with an output power of the order of one watt. We next studied the long term stability of the idler wavelength at 1648 nm. We have measured frequency drifts of the order of 10 MHz/mn. These drifts originating mainly from the reference cavity to which the SRO is locked, can be reduced by, firstly, an active control of the cavity and by, secondly, the use of robust frequency stabilization techniques

One of the most fascinating recent developments in research has been how different disciplines have become more and more interconnected. So much so that fields as disparate as information theory and fundamental physics have combined to produce ideas for the next generation of computing and secure information technologies, both of which have far reaching consequences. For more than fifty years Moore's law, which describes the trend of the transistor's size shrinking by half every two years, has proven to be uncannily accurate. However, the computing industry is now approaching a fundamental barrier as the size of a transistor approaches that of an individual atom and the laws of physics and quantum mechanics take over. Rather then look at this as the end, quantum information science has emerged to ask the question of what additional power and functionality might be realized by harnessing some of these quantum effects. This thesis presents work on the sub-field of quantum cryptography which seeks to use quantum means in order to assure the security of ones communications. The beauty of quantum cryptographic methods are that they can be proven secure, now and indefinitely into the future, relying solely on the validity of the laws of physics for their proofs of security. This is something which is impossible for nearly all current classical cryptographic methods to claim. The thesis begins by examining the first implementation of an entangled quantum key distribution system over two free-space optical links. This system represents the first test-bed of its kind in the world and while its practical importance in terrestrial applications is limited to a smaller university or corporate campus, the system mimics the setup for an entangled satellite system aiding in the study of distributing entangled photons from an orbiting satellite to two earthbound receivers. Having completed the construction of a second free-space link and the automation of the alignment system, I securely distribute keys to Alice and Bob in two distant locations separated by 1,575 m with no direct line-of-sight between them. I examine all of the assumptions necessary for my claims of security, something which is particularly important for moving these systems out of the lab and into commercial industry. I then go on to describe the free-space channel over which the photons are sent and the implementation of each of the major system components. I close with a discussion of the experiment which saw raw detected entangled photon rates of 565 s^{-1} and a quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 4.92% resulting in a final secure key rate of 85 bits/s. Over the six hour night time experiment I was able to generate 1,612,239 bits of secure key. With a successful QKD experiment completed, this thesis then turns to the problem of improving the technology to make it more practical by increasing the key rate of the system and thus the speed at which it can securely encrypt information. It does so in three different ways, involving each of the major disciplines comprising the system: measurement hardware, source technology, and software post-processing. First, I experimentally investigate a theoretical proposal for biasing the measurement bases in the QKD system showing a 79% improvement in the secret key generated from the same raw key rates. Next, I construct a second generation entangled photon source with rates two orders of magnitude higher than the previous source using the idea of a Sagnac interferometer. More importantly, the new source has a QBER as low as 0.93% which is not only important for the security of the QKD system but will be required for the implementation of a new cryptographic primitive later. Lastly, I study the free-space link transmission statistics and the use of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) filter to improve the key rate by 25.2% from the same amount of raw key. The link statistics have particular relevance for a current project with the Canadian Space Agency to exchange a quantum key with an orbiting satellite - a project which I have participated in two feasibility studies for. Wanting to study the usefulness of more recent ideas in quantum cryptography this thesis then looks at the first experimental implementation of a new cryptographic primitive called oblivious transfer (OT) in the noisy storage model. This primitive has obvious important applications as it can be used to implement a secure identification scheme provably secure in a quantum scenario. Such a scheme could one day be used, for example, to authenticate a user over short distances, such as at ATM machines, which have proven to be particularly vulnerable to hacking and fraud. Over a four hour experiment, Alice and Bob measure 405,642,088 entangled photon pairs with an average QBER of 0.93% allowing them to create a secure OT key of 8,939,150 bits. As a first implementer, I examine many of the pressing issues currently preventing the scheme from being more widely adopted such as the need to relax the dependance of the OT rate on the loss of the system and the need to extend the security proof to cover a wider range of quantum communication channels and memories. It is important to note that OT is fundamentally different than QKD for security as the information is never physically exchanged over the communication line but rather the joint equality function f(x) = f(y) is evaluated. Thus, security in QKD does not imply security for OT. Finally, this thesis concludes with the construction and initial alignment of a second generation free-space quantum receiver, useful for increasing the QKD key rates, but designed for a fundamental test of quantum theory namely a Svetlichny inequality violation. Svetlichny's inequality is a generalization of Bell's inequality to three particles where any two of the three particles maybe be non-locally correlated. Even so, a violation of Svetlichny's inequality shows that certain quantum mechanical states are incompatible with this restricted class of non-local yet realistic theories. Svetlichny's inequality is particularly important because while there has been an overwhelming number of Bell experiments performed testing two-body correlations, experiments on many-body systems have been few and far between. Experiments of this type are particularly valuable to explore since we live in a many-body world. The new receiver incorporates an active polarization analyzer capable of switching between measurement bases on a microsecond time-scale through the use of a Pockels cell while maintaining measurements of a high fidelity. Some of the initial alignment and analysis results are detailed including the final measured contrasts of 1:25.2 and 1:22.6 in the rectilinear and diagonal bases respectively.

Quantum cryptography, or quantum key distribution (QKD), provides a means of unconditionally secure communication. The security is in principle based on the fundamental laws of physics. Security proofs show that if quantum cryptography is appropriately implemented, even the most powerful eavesdropper cannot decrypt the message from a cipher. The implementations of quantum crypto-systems in real life may not fully comply with the assumptions made in the security proofs. Such discrepancy between the experiment and the theory can be fatal to the security of a QKD system. In this thesis we address a number of these discrepancies. A perfect single-photon source is often assumed in many security proofs. However, a weak coherent source is widely used in a real-life QKD implementation. Decoy state protocols have been proposed as a novel approach to dramatically improve the performance of a weak coherent source based QKD implementation without jeopardizing its security. Here, we present the first experimental demonstrations of decoy state protocols. Our experimental scheme was later adopted by most decoy state QKD implementations. In the security proof of decoy state protocols as well as many other QKD protocols, it is widely assumed that a sender generates a phase-randomized coherent state. This assumption has been enforced in few implementations. We close this gap in two steps: First, we implement and verify the phase randomization experimentally; second, we prove the security of a QKD implementation without the coherent state assumption. In many security proofs of QKD, it is assumed that all the detectors on the receiver's side have identical detection efficiencies. We show experimentally that this assumption may be violated in a commercial QKD implementation due to an eavesdropper's malicious manipulation. Moreover, we show that the eavesdropper can learn part of the final key shared by the legitimate users as a consequence of this violation of the assumptions.

Quantum communication promises to outperform its classical counterparts and enable protocols previously impossible. Specifically, quantum key distribution (QKD) allows a cryptographic key to be shared between distant parties with provable security. Much work has been performed on theoretical and experi- mental aspects of QKD, and the push is on to make it commercially viable and integrable with existing technologies. To this end I have performed simulations and experiments on QKD and other quantum protocols in regimes previously unexplored. The first experiment involves QKD via distributed entanglement through the standard telecommunications optical fibre network. I show that entanglement is preserved, even when the photons used are a shorter wavelength than the design of the optical fibre calls for. This surprising result is then used to demonstrate QKD over installed optical fibre, even with co-propagating classical traffic. Because the quantum and classical signals are sufficiently separated in wavelength, little cross-talk is observed, leading to high compatibility between this type of QKD and existing telecommunications infrastructure. Secondly, I demonstrate the key components of fully-modulated decoy-state QKD over the highest-loss channel to date, using a novel photon source based on weak coherent (laser) pulses. This system has application in a satellite uplink of QKD, which would enable worldwide secure communication. The uplink allows the complex quantum source to be kept on the ground while only simple receivers are in space, but suffers from high link loss due to atmospheric turbulence, necessitating the use of specific photon detectors and highly tailored photon pulses. My results could be applied in a near term satellite mission.

Many protocols and experiments in quantum information science are described in terms of simple measurements on qubits. However, in an experimental implementation, the exact description of the measurement is usually more complicated. If there is a claim made from the results of an experiment by using the simplified measurement description, then do the claims still hold when the more realistic description is taken into account? We present a "squashing" model that decomposes the realistic measurement description into first a map, followed by a simplified measurement. The squashing model then provides a connection between a realistic measurement and an ideal measurement. If the squashing model exists for a given measurement, then all claims made about a measurement using the simplified description also apply to the complicated one. We give necessary and sufficient conditions to determine when this model exists. We show how it can be applied to quantum key distribution, entanglement verification, and other quantum communication protocols. We also consider several examples of detectors commonly used in quantum communication to determine if they have squashing models.

Quantum key distribution (QKD), a novel cryptographic technique for secure distribution of secret keys between two parties, is the first successful quantum technology to emerge from quantum information science. The security of QKD is guaranteed by fundamental properties of quantum mechanical systems, unlike public-key cryptography whose security depends on difficult to solve mathematical problems such as factoring. Current terrestrial quantum links are limited to about 250 km. However, QKD could soon be deployed on a global scale over free-space links to an orbiting satellite used as a trusted node. Envisioning a photonic uplink to a quantum receiver positioned on a low Earth orbit satellite, the Canadian Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) is a collaborative project involving Canadian universities, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and industry partners. This thesis presents some of the research conducted towards feasibility studies of the QEYSSat mission. One of the main goals of this research is to develop technologies for data acquisition and processing required for a satellite-based QKD system. A working testbed system helps to establish firmly grounded estimates of the overall complexity, the computing resources necessary, and the bandwidth requirements of the classical communication channel. It can also serve as a good foundation for the design and development of a future payload computer onboard QEYSSat. This thesis describes the design and implementation of a QKD post-processing system which aims to minimize the computing requirements at one side of the link, unlike most traditional implementations which assume symmetric computing resources at each end. The post-processing software features precise coincidence analysis, error correction based on low-density parity-check codes, privacy amplification employing Toeplitz hash functions, and a procedure for automated polarization alignment. The system's hardware and software components integrate fully with a quantum optical apparatus used to demonstrate the feasibility of QKD with a satellite uplink. Detailed computing resource requirements and QKD results from the operation of the entire system at high-loss regimes are presented here.

Trabalho de Projeto do Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Física apresentado à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
The goal of quantum key distribution is to safely transfer secret data between two legitimate users through an unreliable network. This is done so by exploiting the properties of quantum mechanics. The security proofs of standard quantum key distribution protocols rely heavily on the characterization of the measurements and prepared quantum states. These assumptions, however, prove to be difficult to meet in real-life implementations. The obvious solution would come as device-independent (DI) security proofs. However, this type of implementation remains a challenge to this day. The alternative to DI found was a semi-device independent approach. Here the devices are non-characterized, and the only assumption made is the inner product information of the sent coherent states. As it is currently one of the most well-established quantum-information technologies, I shall provide a brief introduction and state-of-the-art of quantum key distribution. In this dissertation, I will expound on the implementation of a semi-device independent quantum key distribution protocol. Firstly, state preparation is discussed. The accuracy of the state preparation as well as the measurement operation will have a great impact on the performance of the protocol based on polarization states encoded on weak coherent light pulses. To ensure these are correctly implemented, a full characterization of the polarization controllers used to encode the states is made. After that, the estimation of the parameters needed to prepare the desired polarization states and their respective optimization is explained. In this chapter, the building of the systems needed to control the polarization is also discussed. In the second part of the dissertation, the experimental implementation of the semi-device independent protocol is examined in more depth. Here, the components used shall be specified and their choice is explained. The full control of the experimental set-up will also be discussed. This includes an analysis of the alignment procedures and a characterization of the weak coherent pulses. Lastly, we shall discuss the experimental realization of the protocol and the discussion of the obtained results.
O objetivo da distribuição de chaves quânticas (em inglês QKD, "quantum key distribution") é transferir de forma segura chaves de encriptação entre dois utilizadores através de um canal de comunicação não protegido, com recurso às propriedades da mecânica quântica. As provas de segurança de protocolos padrão de sistemas de distribuição de chaves quânticas, requerem uma caracterização completa das operações de medida e dos estados quânticos preparados. Estas suposições são, no entanto, impraticáveis numa aplicação real devido às imperfeições inerentes aos instrumentos físicos que são utilizados. A solução que surge naturalmente é a aplicação de um sistema de distribuição de chaves quânticas cuja segurança seja assegurada independentemente dos instrumentos experimentais utilizados. No entanto, aplicações práticas deste tipo de protocolos continuam a ser um grande desafio atualmente. A alternativa que surgiu foi uma abordagem semi-independente dos instrumentos utilizados. Nesta situação, os instrumentos utilizados não são caracterizados. A única caracterização a fazer é da informação do produto interno dos estados quânticos que codificam a informação enviada por Alice. O meu projeto de mestrado tem como objetivo a implementação de um protocolo de distribuição de chaves quânticas semi-independente dos dispositivos usados. A dissertação inicia-se com uma breve exposição do estado da arte e introdução ao tema.Segue-se um capítulo com a análise de como os estados quânticos serão preparados. A exatidão desta preparação tem um papel fulcral no funcionamento do protocolo. Para assegurar a sua precisão, é necessário fazer uma caracterização dos controladores de polarização utilizados para codificar os estados. Com base nesta caracterização de polarização, calcularam-se então os parâmetros necessários para preparar os estados quânticos. Neste segundo capítulo é também abordada a construção dos sistemas necessários para controlar a polarização. Na terceira parte da dissertação a implementação experimental do protocolo semi-independente de dispositivos é analisada com mais detalhe. Os componentes utilizados são enunciados e a sua escolha é discutida e fundamentada. Os métodos utilizados para controlar toda experiência são também abordados. Isto inclui uma análise das técnicas de caracterização dos pulsos coerentes. Por fim é discutida a implementação experimental do protocolo.
Outro - NCCR QSIT - Quantum Science and Technology

Nous introduisons un nouveau modèle de la communication à deux parties dans lequel nous nous intéressons au temps que prennent deux participants à effectuer une tâche à travers un canal avec délai d. Nous établissons quelques bornes supérieures et inférieures et comparons ce nouveau modèle aux modèles de communication classiques et quantiques étudiés dans la littérature. Nous montrons que la complexité de la communication d’une fonction sur un canal avec délai est bornée supérieurement par sa complexité de la communication modulo un facteur multiplicatif d/ lg d. Nous présentons ensuite quelques exemples de fonctions pour lesquelles une stratégie astucieuse se servant du temps mort confère un avantage sur une implémentation naïve d’un protocole de communication optimal en terme de complexité de la communication. Finalement, nous montrons qu’un canal avec délai permet de réaliser un échange de bit cryptographique, mais que, par lui-même, est insuffisant pour réaliser la primitive cryptographique de transfert équivoque.
We introduce a new communication complexity model in which we want to determine how much time of communication is needed by two players in order to execute arbitrary tasks on a channel with delay d. We establish a few basic lower and upper bounds and compare this new model to existing models such as the classical and quantum two-party models of communication. We show that the standard communication complexity of a function, modulo a factor of d/ lg d, constitutes an upper bound to its communication complexity on a delayed channel. We introduce a few examples on which a clever strategy depending on the delay procures a significant advantage over the naïve implementation of an optimal communication protocol. We then show that a delayed channel can be used to implement a cryptographic bit swap, but is insufficient on its own to implement an oblivious transfer scheme.

In this thesis research, a novel scheme to implement quantum key distribution based on multiphoton entanglement with a new protocol is proposed. Its advantages are: a larger information capacity can be obtained with a longer transmission distance and the detection of multiple photons is easier than that of a single photon. The security and attacks pertaining to such a system are also studied.
Lastly, a quantum random number generator based on quantum optics has been experimentally demonstrated. This device is a key component for quantum key distribution as it can create truly random numbers, which is an essential requirement to perform quantum key distribution. This new generator is composed of a single optical fiber coupler with fiber pigtails, which can be easily used in optical fiber communications.
Next, a quantum key distribution over wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical fiber networks is realized. Quantum key distribution in networks is a long-standing problem for practical applications. Here we combine quantum cryptography and WDM to solve this problem because WDM technology is universally deployed in the current and next generation fiber networks. The ultimate target is to deploy quantum key distribution over commercial networks. The problems arising from the networks are also studied in this part.
Quantum cryptography, as part of quantum information and communications, can provide absolute security for information transmission because it is established on the fundamental laws of quantum theory, such as the principle of uncertainty, No-cloning theorem and quantum entanglement.
Then quantum key distribution in multi-access networks using wavelength routing technology is investigated in this research. For the first time, quantum cryptography for multiple individually targeted users has been successfully implemented in sharp contrast to that using the indiscriminating broadcasting structure. It overcomes the shortcoming that every user in the network can acquire the quantum key signals intended to be exchanged between only two users. Furthermore, a more efficient scheme of quantum key distribution is adopted, hence resulting in a higher key rate.
Luo, Yuhui.
"January 2005."
Adviser: K. T. Chan.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-01, Section: B, page: 0338.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references.
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
School code: 1307.

Trabalho de Projeto do Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Física apresentado à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Compreende-se criptografia como a prática de princípios e técnicas que permitem uma comunicação segura, na presença de terceiros. Com o desenvolvimento dos computadores quânticos, a utilização de um algoritmo quântico muito eficiente (algoritmo de Shor) para atacar a atual criptografia assimétrica pode transformar-se numa realidade. Isso comprometeria a segurança dos sistemas atuais e futuras trocas de informações. Nesta dissertação, é estudada uma implementação do protocolo quântico BB84, que utiliza variáveis discretas com codificação na polarização de fotões.Na primeira parte deste trabalho, foi estudado o recetor já implementado no laboratório do Instituto de Telecomunicações de Aveiro. De forma a otimizar o processo de recolha e processamento de informação, foi desenvolvida uma solução baseada no Arduino. Conforme foram realizados alguns testes, percebeu-se que seria necessário adicionar um novo Arduino e uma placa periférica para gerir quatro valores de tensão de um controlador de polarização. Foram ainda obtidos resultados testes do Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER), onde se verifica a estabilidade do sistema.Por último, de forma a obter ritmos de operação elevados, estudou-se uma solução baseada em moduladores IQ (In-phase Quadrature. Para se conseguir gerar os seis estados de polarização nas três bases não ortogonais (base padrão, base diagonal e base circular) propusemos uma estrutura Dual-IQ. Nesta estrutura, o sinal ótico é dividido em duas partes iguais, cada uma passando por um modulador IQ. Aqui, uma diferença de fase é introduzida em cada um dos sinais, e com a ajuda de um rotador de polarização é possível gerar vários estados de polarização. Foram realizadas simulações de forma a demonstrar que esta estrutura é capaz de gerar os seis estados de polarização necessários.
Cryptography can be understood as the practice of principles and techniques, that allows secure communications, in the presence of unwanted parties. With the development of quantum computers, the use of a very efficient quantum algorithm (Shor algorithm) to attack the current asymmetric cryptography can become a reality. This would compromise the security of current systems and future information exchanges.In this dissertation, an implementation of the BB84 quantum protocol is studied, which uses polarization encoding on single photons.In the first part of this work, the already implemented receiver, in the laboratory of Instituto de Telecomunicações de Aveiro was studied. To optimize the process of collecting and processing information, a solution based in the Arduino was developed. As some tests were carried out, it was perceived that the system needs two Arduinos and a peripheral board to manage four voltage values of a polarization controller. The Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) tests results were also obtained, where the stability of the system can be analyzed.Finally, in order to obtain high operation rates, a solution based on IQ (In-phase Quadrature) modulators was studied. To generate the six polarization states, in the three non-orthogonal bases (standard base, diagonal base and circular base), we proposed a Dual-IQ structure. In this structure, the optical input signal is divided into two equal parts, each passing on the IQ modulator. Here, a phase difference is introduced in each of the signal, and with the help of a polarization rotator it is possible to generate several polarization states. Simulations have been performed to demonstrate that this structure is capable of generating the six required polarization states.