Statistical fluctuation analysis for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with three-intensity decoy-state method

TLDR

We propose an improved statistical fluctuation analysis for measurement‑device‑independent quantum key distribution using a three‑intensity decoy‑state method. By jointly considering statistical fluctuations from different sources, we derive tighter formulas for key parameters in the secure key calculation. Numerical simulations show that, with 10¹² pulses, the method boosts key rates by ~97 % at 50 km and 145 % at 100 km compared with previous approaches. Reference: F.

Abstract

We present an improved statistical fluctuation analysis for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with a three-intensity decoy-state method. Taking the statistical fluctuations for different sources jointly, we present more tightened formulas for some key quantities used in calculating the secure final key. Numerical simulation shows that, given the total number of pulses ${10}^{12}$, our method improves the key rate by about 97% for a distance of 50 km compared with the result given by Xu et al. [F. Xu et al., Phys. Rev. A 89, 052333 (2014)], and improves the key rate by $145%$ for a distance of 100 km compared with the result from full optimization of all parameters but treating the statistical fluctuations traditionally, i.e., treating the fluctuations for different sources separately.