Secure Direct Communication with a Quantum One-Time-Pad

Secure Direct Communication with a Quantum One-Time-Pad

February 1, 2008 | Fu-Guo Deng and Gui Lu Long
This paper proposes a quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocol using single photons. The protocol uses batches of single photons prepared randomly in one of four different polarization states. These photons serve as a one-time-pad to encode secret messages directly during a single communication process. The protocol is unconditionally secure and feasible with current technology. QSDC differs from quantum key distribution (QKD) in that it transmits secret messages directly without first establishing a shared key. The authors propose a two-step protocol: first, a secure "dove sending" phase where photons are sent and checked for eavesdropping. Second, a "message coding and dove returning" phase where the secret message is encoded using two unitary operations and the photons are returned to the recipient. The protocol is similar to the BB84 QKD protocol but uses four polarization states instead of two. The security of the protocol is based on the unconditionality of the BB84 QKD protocol. The authors show that the protocol is secure against eavesdropping and that the security of the quantum channel is analyzed first in a batch manner before encoding the message. The protocol uses single photons as information carriers and is not reliant on quantum entanglement or non-locality. The authors discuss the implementation of the protocol, noting that single photon sources and quantum state storage techniques are required. These techniques are currently available, though further improvements are needed for practical applications. The paper concludes that quantum secure direct communication does not necessarily require EPR pairs as information carriers, and that quantum entanglement and non-locality are not necessary for QSDC. The protocol is supported by various grants and is considered a promising method for secure communication.This paper proposes a quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocol using single photons. The protocol uses batches of single photons prepared randomly in one of four different polarization states. These photons serve as a one-time-pad to encode secret messages directly during a single communication process. The protocol is unconditionally secure and feasible with current technology. QSDC differs from quantum key distribution (QKD) in that it transmits secret messages directly without first establishing a shared key. The authors propose a two-step protocol: first, a secure "dove sending" phase where photons are sent and checked for eavesdropping. Second, a "message coding and dove returning" phase where the secret message is encoded using two unitary operations and the photons are returned to the recipient. The protocol is similar to the BB84 QKD protocol but uses four polarization states instead of two. The security of the protocol is based on the unconditionality of the BB84 QKD protocol. The authors show that the protocol is secure against eavesdropping and that the security of the quantum channel is analyzed first in a batch manner before encoding the message. The protocol uses single photons as information carriers and is not reliant on quantum entanglement or non-locality. The authors discuss the implementation of the protocol, noting that single photon sources and quantum state storage techniques are required. These techniques are currently available, though further improvements are needed for practical applications. The paper concludes that quantum secure direct communication does not necessarily require EPR pairs as information carriers, and that quantum entanglement and non-locality are not necessary for QSDC. The protocol is supported by various grants and is considered a promising method for secure communication.
Reach us at info@study.space
[slides and audio] Secure direct communication with a quantum one-time pad