Overcoming the rate–distance limit of quantum key distribution without quantum repeaters
Open accessAbstract
Quantum key distribution (QKD)1,2 allows two distant parties to share encryption keys with security based on physical laws. Experimentally, QKD has been implemented via optical means, achieving key rates of 1.26 megabits per second over 50 kilometres of standard optical fibre 3 and of 1.16 bits per hour over 404 kilometres of ultralow-loss fibre in a measurement-device-independent configuration 4 . Increasing the bit rate and range of QKD is a formidable, but important, challenge. A related target, which is currently considered to be unfeasible without quantum repeaters 5-7, is overcoming the fundamental rate-distance limit of QKD 8 . This limit defines the maximum possible secret key rate that two parties can distil at a given distance using QKD and is quantified by the secret-key capacity of the quantum channel 9 that connects the parties. Here we introduce an alternative scheme for QKD whereby pairs of phase-randomized optical fields are first generated at two distant locations and then combined at a central measuring station. Fields imparted with the same random phase are 'twins' and can be used to distil a quantum key. The key rate of this twin-field QKD exhibits the same dependence on distance as does a quantum repeater, scaling with the square-root of the channel transmittance, irrespective of who (malicious or otherwise) is in control of the measuring station. However, unlike schemes that involve quantum repeaters, ours is feasible with current technology and presents manageable levels of noise even on 550 kilometres of standard optical fibre. This scheme is a promising step towards overcoming the rate-distance limit of QKD and greatly extending the range of secure quantum communications.
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QKD is not fully scalable today because ground-based key exchanges using optical fibers are limited to a few hundreds kilometers due to degradation of quantum states.
“QKD is not fully scalable today because ground-based key exchanges using optical fibers are limited to a few hundreds kilometers due to the degradation of the quantum states containing the keys35.”
From Quantum-resistance in blockchain networks (2023) · cites this paper as [35]
The Abstract reports a severe rate–distance limit for conventional fibre QKD, with an experimental example reaching 404 km only at 1.16 bits per hour. But it describes the limiting mechanism as optical-channel loss and falling key rates, not specifically degradation of quantum states, and proposes a scheme feasible over 550 km of standard fibre; it therefore does not establish a hard limit of a few hundred kilometres for fibre QKD generally. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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- Authors
- Lucamarini, M., Yuan, Z. L., Dynes, J. F., & Shields, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Toshiba (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lucamarini, M.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2018-05
- Volume
- 557
- Issue
- 7705
- Pages
- 400-403
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2799278992
- Cited by
- 1,247
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 151 · 2025: 197 · 2024: 174 · 2023: 185 · 2022: 166 · 2021: 160 · 2020: 116 · 2019: 88 · 2018: 10
- FWCI
- 52.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- orcid.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Quantum Information and Cryptography
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Wireless Communication Security Techniques
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices
- Keywords
- quantum key distribution, twin-field QKD, secrecy capacity, quantum repeaters, optical fibre transmission
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