dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA Generic Security Proof for Quantum Key Distribution
| Authors | Matthias Christandl, Renato Renner, Artur Ekert |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0402131 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0402131 |
Abstract
Quantum key distribution allows two parties, traditionally known as Alice and Bob, to establish a secure random cryptographic key if, firstly, they have access to a quantum communication channel, and secondly, they can exchange classical public messages which can be monitored but not altered by an eavesdropper, Eve. Quantum key distribution provides perfect security because, unlike its classical counterpart, it relies on the laws of physics rather than on ensuring that successful eavesdropping would require excessive computational effort. However, security proofs of quantum key distribution are not trivial and are usually restricted in their applicability to specific protocols. In contrast, we present a general and conceptually simple proof which can be applied to a number of different protocols. It relies on the fact that a cryptographic procedure called privacy amplification is equally secure when an adversary's memory for data storage is quantum rather than classical.
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"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:02:05.810000Z",
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"abstract": "Quantum key distribution allows two parties, traditionally known as Alice and\nBob, to establish a secure random cryptographic key if, firstly, they have\naccess to a quantum communication channel, and secondly, they can exchange\nclassical public messages which can be monitored but not altered by an\neavesdropper, Eve. Quantum key distribution provides perfect security because,\nunlike its classical counterpart, it relies on the laws of physics rather than\non ensuring that successful eavesdropping would require excessive computational\neffort. However, security proofs of quantum key distribution are not trivial\nand are usually restricted in their applicability to specific protocols. In\ncontrast, we present a general and conceptually simple proof which can be\napplied to a number of different protocols. It relies on the fact that a\ncryptographic procedure called privacy amplification is equally secure when an\nadversary\u0027s memory for data storage is quantum rather than classical.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0402131",
"authors": [
"Matthias Christandl",
"Renato Renner",
"Artur Ekert"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"title": "A Generic Security Proof for Quantum Key Distribution",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0402131"
},
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