Lucian Comandar

This work reports on the development, deployment, and continuous field operation of a federated trusted node quantum network in service to a separate, quantum-resistant classical network. In this demonstration, we developed the infrastructure needed to connect commercial off-the-shelf quantum key distribution (QKD) systems into a four-site, multi-vendor mesh network shared by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Verizon Communications in the Boston metropolitan area. Encrypted network links leverage QKD-enabled protocol suites, including IPsec and MACsec with data transfer rates up to 100 Gbps connecting on-premises locations to the cloud edge via the AWS Direct Connect service. Detailed health and performance monitoring data gathered over half a year allow for gap analysis with today’s current commercial quantum network technologies. Coupled with symmetric encryption key demand forecasts, this sets the foundation for defining the paths forward to meet carrier-grade network redundancy and resilience requirements.

Running single photon detectors (such as single photon avalanche photodiodes or superconducting nanowire detectors) at high speed is challenging and requires innovative driving and signal processing electronics. Self-differencing has been shown to be a very successful method to achieve detection rates in excess of 1 GHz using APDs while keeping low error rates from dark counts and afterpulses. Here, we present first results of high bit-rate QKD using a novel compact self-differencing setup which is integrated completely on a single printed circuit board (PCB). We achieve bit rates higher than 1 Mbit/s for a fibre distance of 50 km.