2004/02/17 by R Alléaume, Romain Alleaume, F Treussart +15 · 2 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Attenuation #Distribution (mathematics) #Excitation #Laser #Laser-Matter Interactions and Applications #Photon #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum key distribution #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Single-photon source #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1367-2630/6/1/092
published as New Journal of Physics 6 (2004) 92
arxiv created 2004/02/17 · openalex publication_date 2004/07/30 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We describe the implementation of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system using a single-photon source, operating at night in open air. The single-photon source at the heart of the functional and reliable set-up relies on the pulsed excitation of a single nitrogen-vacancy colour centre in a diamond nanocrystal. We tested the effect of attenuation on the polarized encoded photons for inferring the longer distance performance of our system. For strong attenuation, the use of pure single-photon states gives measurable advantage over systems relying on weak attenuated laser pulses. The results are in good agreement with theoretical models developed to assess QKD security.