Deployment-ready quantum key distribution over a classical network infrastructure in Padua
Marco Avesani, Giulio Foletto, Matteo Padovan, Luca Calderaro, Costantino Agnesi, Elisa Bazzani, Federico Berra, Tommaso Bertapelle, Francesco Picciariello, Francesco B. L. Santagiustina, Davide Scalcon, Alessia Scriminich, Andrea Stanco, Francesco Vedovato, Giuseppe Vallone, Paolo Villoresi
Abstract
Current technological progress is driving Quantum Key Distribution towards a commercial and worldwide scale expansion. Its capability to deliver secure communication regardless of the computational power of the attackers will be a fundamental feature in the next generations of telecommunication networks. Nevertheless, demonstrations of QKD implementation in a real operating scenario and their coexistence with the classical telecom infrastructure are of fundamental importance for reliable exploitation. Here we present a Quantum Key Distribution application implemented over a classical fiber-based infrastructure. We exploit a 50 MHz source at 1550 nm, a single 13 km-long fiber cable for both the quantum and the classical channel, and a simplified receiver scheme with just one single-photon detector. In this way, we achieve an error rate of approximately 2% and a secret key rate of about 1.7 kbps, thus demonstrating the feasibility of low-cost and ready-to-use Quantum Key Distribution systems compatible with standard classical infrastructure.