Mathematical Model and Topology Evaluation of Quantum Secure Communication Network
This work addresses the problem of scaling quantum secure communication for networks, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing QKD technology with new modeling and evaluation methods.
The paper tackled the challenge of modeling and evaluating quantum key distribution (QKD) networks for large-scale secure communication by proposing a flow-based mathematical model and a novel performance indicator, with simulations on SECOQC and NSFNET topologies validating their effectiveness.
Due to the intrinsic point-to-point characteristic of quantum key distribution (QKD) systems, it is necessary to study and develop QKD network technology to provide a secure communication service for a large-scale of nodes over a large area. Considering the quality assurance required for such a network and the cost limitations, building an effective mathematical model of a QKD network becomes a critical task. In this paper, a flow-based mathematical model is proposed to describe a QKD network using mathematical concepts and language. In addition, an investigation on QKD network topology evaluation was conducted using a unique and novel QKD network performance indicator, the Information-Theoretic Secure communication bound, and the corresponding linear programming-based calculation algorithm. A large number of simulation results based on the topologies of SECOQC network and NSFNET network validate the effectiveness of the proposed model and indicator.