Quantum cryptography in free space with coherent-state light

Geraldo A. Barbosa; Eric Corndorf; Prem Kumar; Horace P. Yuen

doi:10.1117/12.450942

9 December 2002 Quantum cryptography in free space with coherent-state light

Geraldo A. Barbosa, Eric Corndorf, Prem Kumar, Horace P. Yuen

Proceedings Volume 4821, Free-Space Laser Communication and Laser Imaging II; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450942
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2002, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept experimental demonstration of the secret key quantum cryptographic scheme. A tabletop communication link was set up in the free-space channel using ordinary lasers as transmitters, which emit coherent states of light, and quantum-limited direct detection was employed in the receivers. In the secret key scheme, one needs a supply of M possible quantum states that are uniformly distributed over some random variable. In the free-space case, we used polarization angle as the variable determining the state. In the proof-of-concept emonstration, we aimed towards sending data messages encrypted with a short secret key from the transmitter to the receiver. The messages could be successfully deciphered by the receiver by its knowledge of the secret key. However, when the secret key was taken away, in order to mimic an eavesdropper, the messages could not be deciphered.

Citation Download Citation

Geraldo A. Barbosa, Eric Corndorf, Prem Kumar, and Horace P. Yuen "Quantum cryptography in free space with coherent-state light", Proc. SPIE 4821, Free-Space Laser Communication and Laser Imaging II, (9 December 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450942

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