Multi-Photon Quantum Key Distribution Based on Double-Lock Encryption
This addresses security challenges in quantum communication for users needing efficient key distribution, but it appears incremental as it builds on existing multi-photon protocols.
The paper tackles the problem of secure quantum key distribution by proposing a multi-photon protocol using double-lock encryption, which allows a mean photon number much larger than one and resists various attacks like intercept-resend and photon number splitting.
This paper presents a multi-stage, multi-photon quantum key distribution protocol based on the double-lock cryptography. It exploits the asymmetry in the detection strategies between the legitimate users and the eavesdropper. The security analysis of the protocol is presented with coherent states under the intercept-resend attack, the photon number splitting attack, and the man-in-the-middle attack. It is found that the mean photon number can be much larger than one. This complements the recent interest in multi-photon quantum communication protocols that require a pre-shared key between the legitimate users.