Photon counting for quantum key distribution with peltier cooled InGaAs/InP APDs

Stucki, Damien; Ribordy, G.; Stefanov, André; Zbinden, Hugo; Rarity, John; Wall, T. E.

doi:10.1080/09500340108240900

Cited by 135 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Due to the high dark count rate, performance of these detectors as photon counter is very low. The best efficiency reported is around 20% at 1.3 µm with the optimal temperature 77K [5], and is around 10% at 1.5µm with the optimal temperature 213K [6].In this paper we consider an alternate encoding and detection strategy which is suitable for truly weak signals and current technological limitatons. The basic idea is to simulate direct detection via a dual-homodyne scheme.…”

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“…Thus, at these frequencies PIN-photodiodes are routinely used despite their high dark count rates. Partly because of this, the traditional solution at communications wavelengths has been to encode signals on intense (many photon) pulses.At communication frequencies, photon counting has been achieved with InGaAs or Ge avalanche photodiodes operating in so-called Geiger mode [5,6]. Due to the high dark count rate, performance of these detectors as photon counter is very low.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…At communication frequencies, photon counting has been achieved with InGaAs or Ge avalanche photodiodes operating in so-called Geiger mode [5,6]. Due to the high dark count rate, performance of these detectors as photon counter is very low.…”

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Equivalent efficiency of a simulated photon-number detector

Nemoto

Braunstein

2002

Phys. Rev. A

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Homodyne detection is considered as a way to improve the efficiency of communication near the single-photon level. The current lack of commercially available infrared photon-number detectors significantly reduces the mutual information accessible in such a communication channel. We consider simulating direct detection via homodyne detection. We find that our particular simulated direct detection strategy could provide limited improvement in the classical information transfer. However, we argue that homodyne detectors (and a polynomial number of linear optical elements) cannot simulate photocounters arbitrarily well, since otherwise the exponential gap between quantum and classical computers would vanish.PACS numbers: 03.67. Lx, 42.50.Dv, 89.70.+c The fundamental limitations to classical communication in optical channels are due to the quantum nature of the signals being transmitted. These limitations have been well understood for ideal optical communication channels [1,2]. The capacity of a communication channel is defined to be the maximum mutual information (optimized over the choice of source alphabet used by the sender and the detection strategy used by the receiver) across the communication channel with respect to some physical channel constraint -such as the mean energy throughput. This characterization of a communication channel is important because Shannon's noisy coding theorem proves that any attempt at communication beyond this capacity necessarily fails due to unrecoverable errors [3]. A corollary to this theorem states that even for a non-optimal source alphabet or detection strategy, the mutual information of the communication channel is (asymptotically) achievable using error correction [3,4].For a single-mode optical communication channel the optimal capacity, under a mean energy constraint, is achieved with a source alphabet of photon-number states and ideal photon-number detectors [1,2]. In this ideal case the orthogonality of the signals and hence their perfect distinguishability makes error correction unnecessary. Unfortunately, however, such ideal operation is currently impractical, since neither ideal photon-number state preparation nor ideal photon-number detection is achievable.The detection of weak signals (few photons) is especially difficult at communications wavelengths (1.3 − 1.55µm). Ideally, we would wish to achieve this by simply counting the photons. Now the process of photocounting is often synonymous with using an avalanching device with saturated gain, since each photon produces a strong and standard signal at the output. Unfortunately, it is a technological fact that both at infrared and optical frequencies, the best avalanche photodiodes never have as high a quantum efficiency as the best available linear detectors (having linear gain, such as PINphotodiodes). In fact, currently, no commercial photocounters are available at communications frequencies. Thus, at these frequencies PIN-photodiodes are routinely used despite their high dark count rates. Partly because of this,...

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Equivalent efficiency of a simulated photon-number detector

Nemoto

Braunstein

2002

Phys. Rev. A

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“…Although considerable progress has been achieved in the performance of these detectors [9,10,11,12,13], they exhibit low quantum efficiencies (typically on the order of 0.1), and, most seriously, they suffer from after-pulse effects caused by trapped charge carriers, which produce large dark count rates during a relatively long time. The high dark count probability imposes gated-mode operation, which limits their capabilities significantly.…”

Section: A Ingaas/inp Avalanche Photodiodementioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of various quantum-key-distribution systems using1.55‐μmup-conversion single-photon detectors

et al. 2005

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We compare the performance of various quantum key distribution (QKD) systems using a novel single-photon detector, which combines frequency up-conversion in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide and a silicon avalanche photodiode (APD). The comparison is based on the secure communication rate as a function of distance for three QKD protocols: the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84), the Bennett, Brassard, and Mermin 1992 (BBM92), and the coherent differential phase shift keying (DPSK). We show that the up-conversion detector allows for higher communication rates and longer communication distances than the commonly used InGaAs/InP APD for all the three QKD protocols.

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Single‐photon detector for long‐distance quantum cryptography

Namekata

Makino

Inoue

2003

Electron Comm Jpn Pt II

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SUMMARYIn order to realize long-distance quantum cryptography based on standard optical fiber network, we have developed a single-photon detector at 1550 nm using InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes (APDs). To reduce the dark count probability, APDs were cooled and operated with a Gated Passive Quenching Circuit. A quantum efficiency of 13.7% was obtained at -55 °C while keeping the dark count probability per gate (2 ns) as low as 2.4 × 10 -5 . In this paper we will discuss the performance of the developed single-photon detector in view of application to quantum cryptography.

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Photon counting for quantum key distribution with peltier cooled InGaAs/InP APDs

Cited by 135 publications

References 14 publications

Equivalent efficiency of a simulated photon-number detector

Equivalent efficiency of a simulated photon-number detector

Performance of various quantum-key-distribution systems using1.55‐μmup-conversion single-photon detectors

Single‐photon detector for long‐distance quantum cryptography

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