Finite-key analysis for the 1-decoy state QKD protocol

摘要

It has been shown that in the asymptotic case of infinite-key length, the 2-decoy state Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol outperforms the 1-decoy state protocol. Here, we present a finite-key analysis of the 1-decoy method. Interestingly, we find that for practical block sizes of up to 10 8 bits, the 1-decoy protocol achieves for almost all experimental settings higher secret key rates than the 2-decoy protocol. Since using only one decoy is also easier to implement, we conclude that it is the best choice for QKD, in most common practical scenarios. Published by AIP Publishing.