Efficient High-dimensional Quantum Key Distribution with Hybrid Encoding

We propose a schematic setup of quantum key distribution (QKD) with an improved secret key rate based on high-dimensional quantum states. Two degrees-of-freedom of a single photon, orbital angular momentum modes, and multi-path modes, are used to encode secret key information. Its practical implementation consists of optical elements that are within the reach of current technologies such as a multiport interferometer. We show that the proposed feasible protocol has improved the secret key rate with much sophistication compared to the previous 2-dimensional protocol known as the detector-device-independent QKD.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Bound for Gaussian-state Quantum illumination using direct photon measurement

We present bound for quantum illumination with Gaussian state when using on-off detector or photon number resolving detector, where its performance is evaluated with signal-to-noise ratio. First, in the case of coincidence counting, the best performance is given by two-mode squeezed vacuum (TMSV) state which outperforms coherent state and classically correlated thermal (CCT) state. However coherent state can beat the TMSV state with increasing signal mean photon number when using the on-off detector. Second, the performance is enhanced by taking Fisher information approach of all counting probabilities including non-detection events. In the Fisher information approach, the TMSV state still presents the best performance but the CCT state can beat the TMSV state with increasing signal mean photon number when using the on-off detector. We also show that displaced squeezed state exhibits the best performance in the single-mode Gaussian state.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, comments welcom

Gaussian Quantum Illumination via Monotone Metrics

Quantum illumination is to discern the presence or absence of a low reflectivity target, where the error probability decays exponentially in the number of copies used. When the target reflectivity is small so that it is hard to distinguish target presence or absence, the exponential decay constant falls into a class of objects called monotone metrics. We evaluate monotone metrics restricted to Gaussian states in terms of first-order moments and covariance matrix. Under the assumption of a low reflectivity target, we explicitly derive analytic formulae for decay constant of an arbitrary Gaussian input state. Especially, in the limit of large background noise and low reflectivity, there is no need of symplectic diagonalization which usually complicates the computation of decay constants. First, we show that two-mode squeezed vacuum (TMSV) states are the optimal probe among pure Gaussian states with fixed signal mean photon number. Second, as an alternative to preparing TMSV states with high mean photon number, we show that preparing a TMSV state with low mean photon number and displacing the signal mode is a more experimentally feasible setup without degrading the performance that much. Third, we show that it is of utmost importance to prepare an efficient idler memory to beat coherent states and provide analytic bounds on the idler memory transmittivity in terms of signal power, background noise, and idler memory noise. Finally, we identify the region of physically possible correlations between the signal and idler modes that can beat coherent states.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

A Method to Compute the Schrieffer–Wolff Generator for Analysis of Quantum Memory

Quantum illumination uses entangled light that consists of signal and idler modes to achieve higher detection rate of a low-reflective object in noisy environments. The best performance of quantum illumination can be achieved by measuring the returned signal mode together with the idler mode. Thus, it is necessary to prepare a quantum memory that can keep the idler mode ideal. To send a signal towards a long-distance target, entangled light in the microwave regime is used. There was a recent demonstration of a microwave quantum memory using microwave cavities coupled with a transmon qubit. We propose an ordering of bosonic operators to efficiently compute the Schrieffer–Wolff transformation generator to analyze the quantum memory. Our proposed method is applicable to a wide class of systems described by bosonic operators whose interaction part represents a definite number of transfer in quanta