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Practical long-distance quantum key distribution system using decoy levels

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Published 30 April 2009 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd
, , Focus on Quantum Cryptography: Theory and Practice Citation D Rosenberg et al 2009 New J. Phys. 11 045009 DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/11/4/045009

1367-2630/11/4/045009

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has the potential for widespread real-world applications, but no secure long-distance experiment has demonstrated the truly practical operation needed to move QKD from the laboratory to the real world due largely to limitations in synchronization and poor detector performance. Here, we report results obtained using a fully automated, robust QKD system based on the Bennett Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol with low-noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and decoy levels to produce a secret key with unconditional security over a record 140.6 km of optical fibre, an increase of more than a factor of five compared with the previous record for unconditionally secure key generation in a practical QKD system.

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10.1088/1367-2630/11/4/045009