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On the Robustness of Quantum Key Distribution with Classical Alice (photons-based protocol)

Authors:
Michel Boyer
Tal Mor

Keywords: Cryptography; Quantum Mechanics

Abstract:
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with classical Bob, has been suggested and proven robust. Following this work, QKD with classical Alice was also suggested and proven robust. The above protocols are ideal in the sense that they make use of qubits. However, in the past, well-known QKD protocols that were proven robust and even proven unconditionally secure, when qubits are used, were found to be totally insecure when photons are used. This is due to sensitivity to photon losses (e.g., Bennett's two-state protocol) or sensitivity to losses combined with multi-photon states (e.g., the photon-number-splitting attack on the weak-pulse Bennett-Brassard protocol, BB84). Here, we prove that QKD with classical Alice is still robust when photon losses and even multi-photon states are taken into account. Our method can pave the road to robustness and security analysis of various other two-way QKD protocols.

Pages: 29 to 34

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2015

Publication date: August 23, 2015

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-3530

ISBN: 978-1-61208-431-2

Location: Venice, Italy

Dates: from August 23, 2015 to August 28, 2015