Quantum Key Distribution Protocols
Álvaro Navarrete, Víctor Zapatero, Marcos Curty · 2023
In contrast to public-key cryptography, whose security relies on computational assumptions, quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an information-theoretically secure solution for the task of distributing cryptographic keys between distant parties through an insecure channel. In this chapter, we provide a general introduction to QKD protocols and their security, starting from the theoretical foundations of QKD – based on fundamental properties of quantum mechanics, such as the no-cloning theorem or entanglement – and moving to state-of-the-art QKD solutions and the latest technological advances.