Nicolas Fabre

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is arguably the most mature application of principles of quantum mechanics to cryptography, and several lab and field demonstrations have been realized. However the realization of QKD in deployed networks, with high distances and/or complex network architecture is still a challenge. Trusted nodes is a known solution to these issues, but requires the delegation of trust to third parties. Here, we propose a trusted node protocol where the requirements of trust delegation are lowered, with no overhead in the consumption of the key exchanged with QKD, allowing to keep the same secret key rate. This protocol is then applied to 2 links in the Parisian Quantum Network, composed of dark dedicated fibers between 8 nodes in the Parisian region, for a total fiber distance of 57 km. Our results show the overall key exchange with no degradation of the key rate.

Encoding quantum information in continuous variables is intrinsically faulty. Nevertheless, redundant qubits can be used for error correction, as proposed in Phys. Rev. A 64, 012310 (2001). We show how to experimentally implement this encoding using time-frequency continuous degrees of freedom of photon pairs produced by spontaneous parametric down conversion. We illustrate our results using an integrated AlGaAs photon-pair source. We show how single qubit gates can be implemented and propose a theoretical scheme for correcting errors in a circuit-like and in a measurement-based architecture. Finally, I propose a teleportation-based quantum error correction protocol adapted for such grid states.