Finite Blocklength and Dispersion Bounds for the Arbitrarily-Varying Channel

Finite blocklength and second-order (dispersion) results are presented for the arbitrarily-varying channel (AVC), a classical model wherein an adversary can transmit arbitrary signals into the channel. A novel finite blocklength achievability bound is presented, roughly analogous to the random coding union bound for non-adversarial channels. This finite blocklength bound, along with a known converse bound, is used to derive bounds on the dispersion of discrete memoryless AVCs without shared randomness, and with cost constraints on the input and the state. These bounds are tight for many channels of interest, including the binary symmetric AVC. However, the bounds are not tight if the deterministic and random code capacities differ.Comment: 7 pages, full version of paper submitted to the 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theor

Quantum Communication through Spin Chain Dynamics: an Introductory Overview

We present an introductory overview of the use of spin chains as quantum wires, which has recently developed into a topic of lively interest. The principal motivation is in connecting quantum registers without resorting to optics. A spin chain is a permanently coupled 1D system of spins. When one places a quantum state on one end of it, the state will be dynamically transmitted to the other end with some efficiency if the spins are coupled by an exchange interaction. No external modulations or measurements on the body of the chain, except perhaps at the very ends, is required for this purpose. For the simplest (uniformly coupled) chain and the simplest encoding (single qubit encoding), however, dispersion reduces the quality of transfer. We present a variety of alternatives proposed by various groups to achieve perfect quantum state transfer through spin chains. We conclude with a brief discussion of the various directions in which the topic is developing.Comment: Material covered till Dec 200

Self-Healing Protocols for Connectivity Maintenance in Unstructured Overlays

In this paper, we discuss on the use of self-organizing protocols to improve the reliability of dynamic Peer-to-Peer (P2P) overlay networks. Two similar approaches are studied, which are based on local knowledge of the nodes' 2nd neighborhood. The first scheme is a simple protocol requiring interactions among nodes and their direct neighbors. The second scheme adds a check on the Edge Clustering Coefficient (ECC), a local measure that allows determining edges connecting different clusters in the network. The performed simulation assessment evaluates these protocols over uniform networks, clustered networks and scale-free networks. Different failure modes are considered. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposal.Comment: The paper has been accepted to the journal Peer-to-Peer Networking and Applications. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12083-015-0384-

Testing foundations of quantum mechanics with photons

The foundational ideas of quantum mechanics continue to give rise to counterintuitive theories and physical effects that are in conflict with a classical description of Nature. Experiments with light at the single photon level have historically been at the forefront of tests of fundamental quantum theory and new developments in photonics engineering continue to enable new experiments. Here we review recent photonic experiments to test two foundational themes in quantum mechanics: wave-particle duality, central to recent complementarity and delayed-choice experiments; and Bell nonlocality where recent theoretical and technological advances have allowed all controversial loopholes to be separately addressed in different photonics experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, published as a Nature Physics Insight review articl

Resource allocation for 5G technologies under statistical queueing constraints

As the launch of fifth generation (5G) wireless networks is approaching, recent years have witnessed comprehensive discussions about a possible 5G standard. Many transmission scenarios and technologies have been proposed and initial over-the-air experimental trials have been conducted. Most of the existing literature studies on 5G technologies have mainly focused on the physical layer parameters and quality of service (QoS) requirements, e.g., achievable data rates. However, the demand for delay-sensitive data traffic over wireless networks has increased exponentially in the recent years, and is expected to further increase by the time of 5G. Therefore, other constraints at the data-link layer concerning the buffer overflow and delay violation probabilities should also be regarded. It follows that evaluating the performance of the 5G technologies when such constraints are considered is a timely task. Motivated by this fact, in this thesis we explore the performance of three promising 5G technologies when operating under certain QoS at the data-link layer. We follow a cross-layer approach to examine the interplay between the physical and data-link layers when statistical QoS constraints are inflicted in the form of limits on the delay violation and buffer overflow probabilities. Noting that wireless systems, generally, have limited physical resources, in this thesis we mainly target designing adaptive resource allocation schemes to maximize the system performance under such QoS constraints. We initially investigate the throughput and energy efficiency of a general class of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with arbitrary inputs. As a cross-layer evaluation tool, we employ the effective capacity as the main performance metric, which is the maximum constant data arrival rate at a buffer that can be sustained by the channel service process under specified QoS constraints. We obtain the optimal input covariance matrix that maximizes the effective capacity under a short-term average power budget. Then, we perform an asymptotic analysis of the effective capacity in the low signal-to-noise ratio and large-scale antenna (massive MIMO) regimes. Such analysis has a practical importance for 5G scenarios that necessitate low latency, low power consumption, and/or ability to simultaneously support massive number of users. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has attracted significant attention in the recent years as a promising multiple access technology for 5G. In this thesis, we consider a two-user power-domain NOMA scheme in which both transmitters employ superposition coding and the receiver applies successive interference cancellation (SIC) with a certain order. For practical concerns, we consider limited transmission power budgets at the transmitters, and assume that both transmitters have arbitrarily distributed input signals. We again exploit the effective capacity as the main cross-layer performance measure. We provide a resource management scheme that can jointly obtain the optimal power allocation policies at the transmitters and the optimal decoding order at the receiver, with the goal of maximizing the effective capacity region that provides the maximum allowable sustainable arrival rate region at the transmitters' buffers under QoS guarantees. In the recent years, visible light communication (VLC) has emerged as a potential transmission technology that can utilize the visible light spectrum for data transmission along with illumination. Different from the existing literature studies on VLC, in this thesis we consider a VLC system in which the access point (AP) is unaware of the channel conditions, thus the AP sends the data at a fixed rate. Under this assumption, and considering an ON-OFF data source, we provide a cross-layer study when the system is subject to statistical buffering constraints. To this end, we employ the maximum average data arrival rate at the AP buffer and the non-asymptotic bounds on buffering delay as the main performance measures. To facilitate our analysis, we adopt a two-state Markov process to model the fixed-rate transmission strategy, and we then formulate the steady-state probabilities of the channel being in the ON and OFF states. The coexistence of radio frequency (RF) and VLC systems in typical indoor environments can be leveraged to support vast user QoS needs. In this thesis, we examine the benefits of employing both technologies when operating under statistical buffering limitations. Particularly, we consider a multi-mechanism scenario that utilizes RF and VLC links for data transmission in an indoor environment. As the transmission technology is the main physical resource to be concerned in this part, we propose a link selection process through which the transmitter sends data over the link that sustains the desired QoS guarantees the most. Considering an ON-OFF data source, we employ the maximum average data arrival rate at the transmitter buffer and the non-asymptotic bounds on data buffering delay as the main performance measures. We formulate the performance measures under the assumption that both links are subject to average and peak power constraints

Cryptography and Its Applications in Information Security

Nowadays, mankind is living in a cyber world. Modern technologies involve fast communication links between potentially billions of devices through complex networks (satellite, mobile phone, Internet, Internet of Things (IoT), etc.). The main concern posed by these entangled complex networks is their protection against passive and active attacks that could compromise public security (sabotage, espionage, cyber-terrorism) and privacy. This Special Issue “Cryptography and Its Applications in Information Security” addresses the range of problems related to the security of information in networks and multimedia communications and to bring together researchers, practitioners, and industrials interested by such questions. It consists of eight peer-reviewed papers, however easily understandable, that cover a range of subjects and applications related security of information

Integrated photonic transmitters for secure space quantum communication

An important issue in today's information society is the security of data transmission against potential intruders, which always put at risk the confidentiality. Current methods to increase security require that the two parties wishing to transmit information, exchange or share one or more security keys. Once the key has been identified, the information can be transferred in a provable secure way using a one-time pad, i. e. the key length is as long as the plaintext. Therefore, the security of the information transmission is based exclusively on the security of the key exchange. Quantum cryptography, or more precisely quantum key distribution (QKD), guarantees absolutely secure key distribution based on the principles of quantum physics, according to which it is not possible to measure or reproduce a state (e.g. polarization or phase of a photon) without being detected. The key is generated out from the measurement of the information encoded into specific quantum states of a photon, named qubits. For example, a qubit can be created using properties such as the polarization or the phase of a photon. Achieved goals of this thesis are the development of a new class of high speed integrated photonic sources for applications in quantum key distribution systems, capable of producing unprecedented qubit rates (100 Mbps - 1 Gbps) and transmitting those over larger distances than those achieved so far (>200 km). More specifically the work has been focused on developing faint pulse sources which can be used in very demanding environmental conditions, such as those in Space. For the development of these sources, apart from the optical design, essential is the opto-mechanical engineering as well as the integration with the electronics. One of the objectives was to achieve very high level of integration and power efficiency, e.g. volumes and power consumption between 10 and 100 times smaller than those typical of a laboratory experiment. Moreover, work in related parts of a whole QKD transmission system has been carried out. In particular, a new scheme for a compact, fast and simple random number generator has been demonstrated successfully achieving a random number generation rate of 1.1 Gbps. Also, during the course of this thesis, the development and engineering of a free-space QKD optical link has been initiated. This thesis makes use of novel ideas to alternatively demonstrate proof-of-concept experiments, which could then further develop into commercial products. To this end, close collaborations with world-wide leading companies in the field have been established. The Optoelectronics Group at ICFO has been involved in current European Space Agency (ESA) projects to develop a small footprint and low power consumption quantum transceiver and a high-flux entangled photon source.En l’actual societat del coneixement és important la seguretat en la transmissió de dades contra potencial intrusos, els quals sempre posen en risc la confidencialitat. Mètodes actuals per incrementar la seguretat requereixen que les dos parts que volen transmetre informació, intercanviïn o comparteixin una o més claus. Una vegada la clau ha estat identificada, la informació pot ser transferida de forma provadament segura utilitzant ”‘one-time pad”’. Per tant, la seguretat en la transmissió de la informació es basa exclusivament en la seguretat en l’intercanvi de la clau. La criptografia quàntica, o més precisament distribució de clau quàntica (QKD), garanteix absolutament la seguretat de la distribució de la clau basant-se en els principis de la física quàntica, segons la qual no és possible mesurar o reproduir un estat (p. e. la polarització o fase d’un fotó) sense ser detectat. La clau es genera a partir de les mesures de la informació codificada en estat quàntics del fotó, anomenats qubits. Per exemple, un qubit pot ser creat utilitzant propietats com la polarització o fase d’un fotó. Els objectius aconseguits d’aquesta tesis són el desenvolupament d’una nova classe d’emissors fotònics d’alta velocitat per a aplicacions en sistemes de distribució de clau quàntica, capaç¸os de produir velocitats de qubit sense precedents (100 Mbps - 1 Gbps) i transmetre’ls a través de distàncies més llunyanes que les aconseguides fins ara (> 200 Km). Més en concret el treball s’ha centrat en el desenvolupament de fonts de pulsos atenuats que poden ser usades en condicions ambientals molt extremes, com les presents a l’Espai. Per al desenvolupament d’aquestes fonts, apart del disseny òptic, importantíssim es l’enginyeria optomecànica com també la integració amb la electrònica. Un dels objectius ha estat aconseguir un molt alt nivell de integració i eficiència de potència, p. e. volums i consums de potència entre 10 i 100 vegades més petits que els típics en experiments de laboratori. Ademés, s’ha realitzat treball en altres parts relacionades amb un sistema de transmissió QKD. En particular, un nou esquema per a un generador de números aleatori compacte, ràpid i simple ha estat positivament demostrat aconseguint velocitats de generació de números aleatoris de 1:1 Gbps. També, el desenvolupament i enginyeria d’un enllaç òptic per a QKD en espai lliure ha estat iniciat durant aquesta tesis. Aquesta tesis utilitza idees novedoses per a demostrar experiments de prova de concepte, els quals poden esdevenir en productes comercials. Per a aquest fi, s’han establert col•laboracions amb empreses internacionals líders del sector. A més a més, el Grup d’Optoelectrònica de ICFO ha estat involucrat en projectes de la Agència Espacial Europea (ESA) per a desenvolupar un transceptor quàntic de tamany reduït i baix consum de potència, el qual també conté una font de fotons entrellaçts d’alt flux

Lossless Source Coding in the Point-to-Point, Multiple Access, and Random Access Scenarios

This paper treats point-to-point, multiple access and random access lossless source coding in the finite-blocklength regime. A random coding technique is developed, and its power in analyzing the third-order coding performance is demonstrated in all three scenarios. Via a connection to composite hypothesis testing, a new converse that tightens previously known converses for Slepian-Wolf source coding is established. Asymptotic results include a third-order characterization of the Slepian-Wolf rate region and a proof showing that for dependent sources, the independent encoders used by Slepian-Wolf codes can achieve the same third-order-optimal performance as a single joint encoder. The concept of random access source coding, which generalizes the multiple access scenario to allow for a subset of participating encoders that is unknown a priori to both the encoders and the decoder, is introduced. Contributions include a new definition of the probabilistic model for a random access source, a general random access source coding scheme that employs a rateless code with sporadic feedback, and an analysis demonstrating via a random coding argument that there exists a deterministic code of the proposed structure that simultaneously achieves the third-order-optimal performance of Slepian-Wolf codes for all possible subsets of encoders.Comment: 42 pages, 10 figures. Part of this work was presented at ISIT'1