Zichuan Niu

Quantum Dots can generate on-demand, highly indistinguishable photons for quantum information purposes. We make use of a high performance quantum dot with dynamic polarization modulation in order to experimentally implement the BB84 protocol. State preparation is achieved with a custom built pulse-pattern generator and a 10^5-bit random sequence controlling an electro-optical modulator and an 80 MHz repetition rate. These are then detected in a 4 state polarization analyzer with which we record a QBER of 2.9%. In order to gauge the performance of the protocol, we make use of advanced numerical techniques to compute lower bounds on secure key rates. These techniques allow us to demonstrate the security and performance of this protocol while considering device imperfections such as the source on Alice's side and unequal detection efficiencies on Bob's side. Our detailed analysis of the protocol’s performance including device imperfections is an important step towards practical implementations of QKD.