On-demand single-photon sources via quantum blockade and applications in decoy-state quantum key distribution

Abstract

Quantum blockades as a nonlinear quantum optical process have been well studied in recent years. Using the quantum trajectory method, we calculate and discuss the output photon number distributions of a single-photon blockade process in a Kerr nonlinear dissipative resonator, revealing that the probability of the single-photon state can be optimized. Then we show through numerical simulations that such a quasi-single-photon source can drastically raise the key rate in the decoy-state quantum key distribution.