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Optica, Optics Letters, 11(45), p. 3022, 2020

DOI: 10.1364/ol.392742

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Field demonstration of time-bin reference-frame-independent quantum key distribution via an intracity free-space link

Journal article published in 2020 by Huan Chen, Jipeng Wang, Bangying Tang, Zhenhua Li, Bo Liu, Shihai Sun ORCID
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

Free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) based on mobile platforms, such as satellites, drones, and vehicles, is considered a promising way to overcome the rate-distance limit without a quantum repeater. Real-time reference frame calibration is required in most recent implemented polarization encoded QKD systems due to the relative motion between sender and receiver. Although active compensations can be used to calibrate the reference frame, doing so increases the complexity of the system and reduces the key rate. To overcome this problem, the reference-frame-independent (RFI) QKD was proposed in which fixed deviations of the reference frame between the two parties are tolerated automatically. In this Letter, we report the experimental implementation of a time-bin encoded RFI QKD in an urban environment through free space. The quantum bit error rate for key-distill is as low as 1% over a 2 km free-space link with a total equivalent loss of 31.5 dB. Our demonstration shows that a stable RFI QKD can be implemented in the free-space channel.