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The security of practical quantum key distribution

2009; American Physical Society; Volume: 81; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1103/revmodphys.81.1301

1539-0756

Valerio Scarani, H. Bechmann-Pasquinucci, Nicolas J. Cerf, Miloslav Dušek, Norbert Lütkenhaus, Momtchil Peev,

Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is the first quantum information task to reach the level of mature technology, already fit for commercialization. It aims at the creation of a secret key between authorized partners connected by a quantum channel and a classical authenticated channel. The security of the key can in principle be guaranteed without putting any restriction on the eavesdropper's power. The first two sections provide a concise up-to-date review of QKD, biased toward the practical side. The rest of the paper presents the essential theoretical tools that have been developed to assess the security of the main experimental platforms (discrete variables, continuous variables and distributed-phase-reference protocols).