A Bipartite Quantum Key Distribution Protocol Based on Indefinite Causal Order
This work addresses the problem of secure key distribution for two parties by exploring a novel quantum resource, offering an incremental step in QKD research.
This paper proposes a bipartite quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol that leverages indefinite causal order. The protocol achieves an 85.35% probability of matching bits per round, corresponding to a 14.65% error rate, which can be corrected using standard error-correction methods.
We propose a bipartite quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol based on causal nonseparability: the presence of a resource -- a process matrix -- that does not correspond to any definite causal order between two parties. In our protocol, Alice and Bob perform local operations arranged in a ``causal-order guessing game,'' whereby each round yields an 85.35\% probability of matching bits when the communication is undisturbed. This raw matching probability (or equivalently, a $\sim14.65\%$ error rate) is amenable to standard forward error-correction strategies. We further discuss the practical construction of the QKD protocol using indefinite causal order, where several different scenarios are deeply analyzed.