Experimental demonstration of long-distance continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Abstract

Distributing secret keys with information-theoretic security is arguably one of the most important achievements of the field of quantum information processing and communications1. The rapid progress in this field has enabled quantum key distribution in real-world conditions2,3 and commercial devices are now readily available. Quantum key distribution systems based on continuous variables4 provide the major advantage that they only require standard telecommunication technology. However, to date, these systems have been considered unsuitable for long-distance communication5,6,7. Here, we overcome all previous limitations and demonstrate for the first time continuous-variable quantum key distribution over 80 km of optical fibre. All aspects of a practical scenario are considered, including the use of finite-size data blocks for secret information computation and key distillation. Our results correspond to an implementation guaranteeing the strongest level of security for quantum key distribution reported so far for such long distances and pave the way to practical applications of secure quantum communications. Researchers demonstrate continuous-variable quantum key distribution over 80 km of optical fibre. They develop a detection system based on homodyne detectors to achieve an unprecedented level of stability and implement new codes tailored to perform secure communication optimally in a range of signal-to-noise ratios corresponding to long distances.