Deterministic QKD source robust against side-channel attacks
TL;DR
This work proposes a QKD source that is intrinsically robust against side-channel attacks, and under idealized source assumptions commonly adopted in proposals for existing schemes, conventional decoy-state security analyses apply directly, yielding substantially higher key rates.
Abstract
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is secure in principle, but practical security can be undermined by discrepancies between real devices and the idealized models assumed in security proofs. Source side channels, including those exploited by Trojan-horse attacks, are particularly detrimental: neglecting them compromises implementation security, whereas accounting for them reduces performance. Here we propose a QKD source that is intrinsically robust against side-channel attacks. Unlike existing passive and modulator-free schemes, it requires neither post-selection of the emitted pulses nor devices with a perfect extinction ratio to suppress side channels, and it does not introduce correlations between the intensity and the encoded bit or basis. Consequently, under idealized source assumptions commonly adopted in proposals for existing schemes, conventional decoy-state security analyses apply directly, yielding substantially higher key rates. Our proposal appears to be within reach of current technology and therefore provides a clear and practical path toward implementation-secure QKD.