Practical Free-Space Quantum Cryptography

  • Authors:

  • R. J. Hughes;W. T. Buttler;P. G. Kwiat;S. K. Lamoreaux;G. G. Luther;G. L. Morgan;J. E. Nordholt;C. G. Peterson;C. M. Simmons

  • Affiliations:

  • -;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

  • Venue:
  • QCQC '98 Selected papers from the First NASA International Conference on Quantum Computing and Quantum Communications
  • Year:
  • 1998

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Abstract

An experimental free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) system has been tested over an outdoor optical path of ~ 1 km under nighttime conditions at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This system employs the Bennett 92 protocol; here we give a brief overview of this protocol, and describe our experimental implementation of it. An analysis of the system efficiency is presented, as well as a description of our error detection protocol, which employs a two-dimensional parity check scheme. Finally, the susceptibility of this system to eavesdropping by various techniques is determined, and the effectiveness of privacy amplification procedures is discussed. Our conclusions are that free-space QKD is both effective and secure; possible applications include the rekeying of satellites in low earth orbit.