Koehler-Sidki, A., Dynes, J. F., Martinez, A. et al. (5 more authors) (2019) Intrinsic mitigation of the after-gate attack in quantum key distribution through fast-gated delayed detection. Physical Review Applied. 024050. ISSN 2331-7019
Abstract
The information-theoretic security promised by quantum key distribution (QKD) holds as long as the assumptions in the theoretical model match the parameters in the physical implementation. The superlinear behavior of sensitive single-photon detectors represents one such mismatch and can pave the way to powerful attacks hindering the security of QKD systems, a prominent example being the after-gate attack. A long-standing tenet is that trapped carriers causing delayed detection can help mitigate this attack, but despite intensive scrutiny, it remains largely unproven. Here we approach this problem from a physical perspective and find evidence to support a detector's secure response. We experimentally investigate two different carrier-trapping mechanisms causing delayed detection in fast-gated semiconductor avalanche photodiodes, one arising from the multiplication layer and the other arising from the heterojunction interface between absorption and charge layers. The release of trapped carriers increases the quantum bit error rate measured under the after-gate attack above the typical QKD security threshold, thus favoring the detector's inherent security. This represents a significant step to avert quantum hacking of QKD systems.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 American Physical Society. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 27 Oct 2020 12:00 |
Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 17:02 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.12.024050 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.12.024050 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:167275 |
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