Polar lattice-based post-processing of continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Junjiang YU, Ling LIU, Baoming BAI

Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology) ›› 2025, Vol. 65 ›› Issue (11) : 2095-2104.

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Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology) ›› 2025, Vol. 65 ›› Issue (11) : 2095-2104. DOI: 10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2025.27.038
Frontiers in New-Quality Communication Technology

Polar lattice-based post-processing of continuous-variable quantum key distribution

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Abstract

Objective: Post-processing plays a critical role in quantum key distribution (QKD) systems by correcting transmission errors and enhancing key security. In continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD), where information is encoded onto the quadratures of light signals, efficient post-processing is crucial due to the inherent sensitivity of these signals to noise and potential eavesdropping. This paper proposes an innovative post-processing scheme based on polar lattices, targeting the challenges of information reconciliation and privacy amplification in CV-QKD systems. Methods: The core methodology treats the problem of information reconciliation as an instance of the Wyner-Ziv coding problem, which addresses source coding with side information. To implement this, we introduce a novel architecture based on two nested polar lattices designed to efficiently reconcile information between Alice (the sender) and Bob (the receiver). The outer lattice acts as a quantization codebook for the lossy compression of Alice's signal, while the inner lattice enables error correction, allowing Bob to accurately reconstruct Alice's original signal. Additionally, we utilize the theory of polarization to eliminate potential information leakage, ensuring the secrecy of the final key through privacy amplification. This approach not only improves the efficiency of information reconciliation but also enhances the robustness against channel noise and other impairments by incorporating advanced decoding techniques such as soft-decision decoding and adaptive quantization. Results: Our numerical results show a significant increase in the data coordination efficiency of the proposed scheme compared to that of traditional methods. As the code length increases, the efficiency of our method approaches the theoretical limit defined by the Slepian-Wolf bound, indicating near-optimal performance. Furthermore, simulations conducted under various conditions demonstrate that the proposed scheme maintains high performance even in challenging scenarios characterized by low signal-to-noise ratios and high channel noise. These findings suggest that our approach offers substantial improvements in both reliability and security for CV-QKD systems. Conclusions: In conclusion, this paper presents a comprehensive and practical solution for post-processing in CV-QKD systems utilizing polar lattices to address the dual challenges of information reconciliation and privacy amplification. By treating the reconciliation process as a Wyner-Ziv coding problem and employing advanced polar lattice-based encoding and decoding strategies, our scheme achieves near-theoretical performance limits. The demonstrated scalability and compatibility of our method with modern optical communication systems make it highly suitable for real-world deployment. This study represents a major step forward in the development of efficient, secure, and scalable QKD technologies, paving the way for broader applications in quantum cryptography. Moreover, the success of this approach highlights the potential of integrating classical coding theories into quantum communications, opening new avenues for research and innovation. Future work will focus on further optimizing the parameters of the polar lattice structure and exploring its applicability in more complex and dynamic environments, with the aim of pushing the boundaries of what is achievable with current QKD technologies.

Key words

continuous-variable quantum key distribution / polar lattices / information reconciliation / privacy amplification

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Junjiang YU , Ling LIU , Baoming BAI. Polar lattice-based post-processing of continuous-variable quantum key distribution[J]. Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology). 2025, 65(11): 2095-2104 https://doi.org/10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2025.27.038

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