Fast optical source for quantum key distribution based on semiconductor optical amplifiers

Autor(en)

Marc Jofre, Arnaud Gardelein, Gabriele Anzolin, Waldimar A. Amaya, Jose Capmany, Rupert Ursin, L. Peñate, D. Lopez, José Luis San Juan, J. A. Carrasco, F. Garcia, Francisco Jose Torcal-Milla, Luis Miguel Sanchez-Brea, Eusebio Bernabeu, Josep Perdigues, Thomas Jennewein, J P Torres, M. W. Mitchell, Valerio Pruneri

Abstrakt

A novel integrated optical source capable of emitting faint pulses with different polarization states and with different intensity levels at 100 MHz has been developed. The source relies on a single laser diode followed by four semiconductor optical amplifiers and thin film polarizers, connected through a fiber network. The use of a single laser ensures high level of indistinguishability in time and spectrum of the pulses for the four different polarizations and three different levels of intensity. The applicability of the source is demonstrated in the lab through a free space quantum key distribution experiment which makes use of the decoy state BB84 protocol. We achieved a lower bound secure key rate of the order of 3.64 Mbps and a quantum bit error ratio as low as 1.14 x 10(-2) while the lower bound secure key rate became 187 bps for an equivalent attenuation of 35 dB. To our knowledge, this is the fastest polarization encoded QKD system which has been reported so far. The performance, reduced size, low power consumption and the fact that the components used can be space qualified make the source particularly suitable for secure satellite communication.

Organisation(en)

Quantenoptik, Quantennanophysik und Quanteninformation

Externe Organisation(en)

The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, ALTER Technology Group, LIDAX, EMXYS, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Complutense De Madrid, European Space Agency (ESA), University of Waterloo (UW), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Journal

Optics Express

Band

19

Seiten

3825-3834

Anzahl der Seiten

10

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.19.003825

Publikationsdatum

2011

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

1030 Physik, Astronomie

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/30df62e8-c531-41b4-977c-44e63bc59687