Fully device-independent quantum key distribution

Quantum cryptography promises levels of security that are impossible to replicate in a classical world. Can this security be guaranteed even when the quantum devices on which the protocol relies are untrusted? This central question dates back to the early 1990s when the challenge of achieving device...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2014-10, Vol.113 (14), p.140501-140501, Article 140501
Main Authors: Vazirani, Umesh, Vidick, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coherence
Constants
Correlation
Devices
Noise tolerance
Quantum cryptography
Quantum mechanics
Security
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Summary:Quantum cryptography promises levels of security that are impossible to replicate in a classical world. Can this security be guaranteed even when the quantum devices on which the protocol relies are untrusted? This central question dates back to the early 1990s when the challenge of achieving device-independent quantum key distribution was first formulated. We answer this challenge by rigorously proving the device-independent security of a slight variant of Ekert's original entanglement-based protocol against the most general (coherent) attacks. The resulting protocol is robust: While assuming only that the devices can be modeled by the laws of quantum mechanics and are spatially isolated from each other and from any adversary's laboratory, it achieves a linear key rate and tolerates a constant noise rate in the devices. In particular, the devices may have quantum memory and share arbitrary quantum correlations with the eavesdropper. The proof of security is based on a new quantitative understanding of the monogamous nature of quantum correlations in the context of a multiparty protocol.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.140501