https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt/s40507-021-00117-8
Research
Proof-of-principle demonstration of semi-quantum key distribution based on the Mirror protocol
1
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, School of Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, 510006, Guangzhou, China
2
Guangdong Polytechnic Institute, Tong Xin Road, 510091, Guangzhou, China
Received:
7
October
2021
Accepted:
9
December
2021
Published online:
20
December
2021
Semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) is used to establish a string of shared secret keys between a quantum party and a classical party. Here, we report the first proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of SQKD based on the Mirror protocol, which is the most experimentally feasible SQKD protocol, and equipped with time-phase encoding scheme employing the method of selective modulation. The experiment was performed at a repetition frequency of 62.5 MHz and a high raw key rate arrived at 69.8 kbps, and the average quantum bit error rate was found to be 4.56% and 2.78% for the “SWAP-x-Z” () and the “CTRL-X”, respectively. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our system, and this study is helpful for future research on SQKD experiments.
Key words: Semi-quantum key distribution / Classical operation / Time-phase encoding / Selective modulation
© The Author(s) 2021
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