Mountogiannakis, Alexander G. and Pirandola, Stefano orcid.org/0000-0001-6165-5615 (2026) Optimizing Epsilon Security Parameters in QKD. Physica Scripta. 325101. ISSN: 0031-8949
Abstract
We investigate the optimization of epsilon-security parameters in quantum key distribution (QKD), aiming to improve the achievable secure key rate under a fixed overall composable security level. For this purpose, we employ a continuous genetic algorithm (CGA) to optimize the epsilon-security components of two representative protocols: the homodyne protocol from the continuous-variable (CV) family and the BB84 protocol from the discrete-variable (DV) family. We detail the CGA configuration, summarize the derivation of the composable key rate, and emphasize the role of the epsilon-parameters in both protocols. We then compare key rates obtained with optimized epsilon-values against those derived from standard and randomized choices. Our results demonstrate substantial key rate improvements at high security levels, where the key rate typically vanishes, and uncover positive-rate regimes that are inaccessible without optimization.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Authors/Creators: |
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| Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | 8 pages, REVTeX, 2 figures © 2026 The Author(s) |
| Keywords: | quant-ph,physics.optics |
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | The University of York |
| Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Computer Science (York) |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jul 2026 12:00 |
| Last Modified: | 06 Aug 2026 10:10 |
| Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ae8db2 |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Identification Number: | 10.1088/1402-4896/ae8db2 |
| Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:243743 |
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Filename: Mountogiannakis_2026_Phys._Scr._101_325101.pdf
Description: Optimizing epsilon security parameters in QKD
Licence: CC-BY 2.5

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