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Finite-key analysis of sending-or-not-sending twin-field quantum key distribution with intensity fluctuations

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Abstract

Sending-or-not sending twin-field quantum key distribution (SNS TF-QKD) removes the remaining security loopholes in original TF-QKD and can tolerate large misalignment errors. However, finite-key effects and intensity fluctuations of the photon sources would compromise its performance by lowering the secret key rate and then limiting the communication distance. In this paper, we present a method to estimate the lower bound of single-photon states yield for practical four-intensity decoy-state SNS TF-QKD. Based on this, we give a finite-key analysis without and with intensity fluctuations using improved Chernoff bound and Azuma’s inequality, respectively. Our simulation results show that both statistical and intensity fluctuations have a non-negligible effect on the performance of SNS TF-QKD and the effect of intensity fluctuations varies dramatically with different states. More precisely speaking, it is robust to the intensity fluctuations of the states with strong intensity while sensitive to the states with weak intensity. Our results emphasize that it is more significant to keep the stability of the weak states which could be modified in experiments with intensity modulators.

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Acknowledgements

The project was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0302600) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (61675 235, 61605248 and 61505261).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Key Laboratory of Quantum Information and Cryptography, SSF IEU, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China

    Yi-Fei Lu, Yang Wang, Mu-Sheng Jiang, Fan Liu, Xiao-Xu Zhang & Wan-Su Bao

  2. Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Yi-Fei Lu, Yang Wang, Mu-Sheng Jiang, Fan Liu, Xiao-Xu Zhang & Wan-Su Bao

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  1. Yi-Fei Lu
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  2. Yang Wang
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Correspondence to Yang Wang or Wan-Su Bao.

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Lu, YF., Wang, Y., Jiang, MS. et al. Finite-key analysis of sending-or-not-sending twin-field quantum key distribution with intensity fluctuations. Quantum Inf Process 20, 135 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11128-021-03070-8

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