First Demonstration of 25λ × 10 Gb/s C+L Band Classical / DV-QKD Co-Existence Over Single Bidirectional Fiber Link
Florian Honz, Florian Prawits, Obada Alia, Hesham Sakr, Thomas D. Bradley, Cong Zhang, Radan Slavı́k, Francesco Poletti, George T. Kanellos, Reza Nejabati, Philip Walther, Dimitra Simeonidou, Hannes Hübel, Bernhard Schrenk
Abstract
As quantum key distribution has reached the maturity level for practical deployment, questions about the co-integration with existing classical communication systems are of utmost importance. To this end we demonstrate how the co-propagation of classical and quantum signals can benefit from the development of novel hollow-core fibers. We demonstrate a secure key rate of 330 bit/s for a quantum channel at 1538 nm in the presence of 25 × 10 Gb/s classical channels, transmitted at an aggregated launch power of 12 dBm, spanning over the C+L-band in the same hollow-core fiber link. Furthermore, we show the co-integration of the classical key-distillation channel onto this fiber link, turning it into a bidirectional fiber link and thereby mitigating the need for multiple fibers. We believe this to be an important step towards the deployment and integration of hollow-core fibers together with DV-QKD for the inherently secure telecom network of the future.