High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser

Quantum key distribution offers a promising avenue for establishing secure communication networks. However, its performance is significantly hampered by the conventional two-level information carriers (i.e., qubits) due to their limited information capacity and noise resilience. A fundamental approa...

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Main Authors: Yichi Zhang, Haoqi Zhao, Tianwei Wu, Zihe Gao, Li Ge, Liang Feng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2025-02-01
Series:Physical Review X
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.011024
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author Yichi Zhang
Haoqi Zhao
Tianwei Wu
Zihe Gao
Li Ge
Liang Feng
author_facet Yichi Zhang
Haoqi Zhao
Tianwei Wu
Zihe Gao
Li Ge
Liang Feng
author_sort Yichi Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Quantum key distribution offers a promising avenue for establishing secure communication networks. However, its performance is significantly hampered by the conventional two-level information carriers (i.e., qubits) due to their limited information capacity and noise resilience. A fundamental approach to overcoming these limitations involves the adoption of high-dimensional qudits. Practical qudit platforms require robust propagation, outstanding controllability, and extreme compactness, to which integrated photonics provides a promising solution. Here, we achieved, for the first time, microlaser-enabled high-dimensional quantum communication through leveraging spin-orbit photon qudits, where the dynamical generation and manipulation of these multi-degrees-of-freedom complex quantum state are realized by a non-Hermitian-physics-driven integrated microlaser quantum transmitter. Such a microlaser photon manipulation, as a novel route towards high-dimensional quantum state generation, promises high energy efficiency, along with fast, compact, and precise qudit state reconfigurability. The four spin-orbit eigenstates emitted by the microlaser possess the same spatial-temporal structures, ensuring homogeneity between all qudit states used for key distribution, which effectively eliminates propagation dephasing and walk-off problems, thereby delivering the high-dimensional spin-orbit secret key generation to construct a robust quantum link. The demonstrated long-term system stability showcases the practical potential of the microlaser quantum transmitter, providing a critical step towards compact, high-information-capacity quantum communication networks.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2160-3308
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publishDate 2025-02-01
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series Physical Review X
spelling doaj-art-41810f895b164be48bef44b985ab812a2025-02-05T15:04:31ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082025-02-0115101102410.1103/PhysRevX.15.011024High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit MicrolaserYichi ZhangHaoqi ZhaoTianwei WuZihe GaoLi GeLiang FengQuantum key distribution offers a promising avenue for establishing secure communication networks. However, its performance is significantly hampered by the conventional two-level information carriers (i.e., qubits) due to their limited information capacity and noise resilience. A fundamental approach to overcoming these limitations involves the adoption of high-dimensional qudits. Practical qudit platforms require robust propagation, outstanding controllability, and extreme compactness, to which integrated photonics provides a promising solution. Here, we achieved, for the first time, microlaser-enabled high-dimensional quantum communication through leveraging spin-orbit photon qudits, where the dynamical generation and manipulation of these multi-degrees-of-freedom complex quantum state are realized by a non-Hermitian-physics-driven integrated microlaser quantum transmitter. Such a microlaser photon manipulation, as a novel route towards high-dimensional quantum state generation, promises high energy efficiency, along with fast, compact, and precise qudit state reconfigurability. The four spin-orbit eigenstates emitted by the microlaser possess the same spatial-temporal structures, ensuring homogeneity between all qudit states used for key distribution, which effectively eliminates propagation dephasing and walk-off problems, thereby delivering the high-dimensional spin-orbit secret key generation to construct a robust quantum link. The demonstrated long-term system stability showcases the practical potential of the microlaser quantum transmitter, providing a critical step towards compact, high-information-capacity quantum communication networks.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.011024
spellingShingle Yichi Zhang
Haoqi Zhao
Tianwei Wu
Zihe Gao
Li Ge
Liang Feng
High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
Physical Review X
title High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
title_full High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
title_fullStr High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
title_full_unstemmed High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
title_short High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution by a Spin-Orbit Microlaser
title_sort high dimensional quantum key distribution by a spin orbit microlaser
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.15.011024
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AT haoqizhao highdimensionalquantumkeydistributionbyaspinorbitmicrolaser
AT tianweiwu highdimensionalquantumkeydistributionbyaspinorbitmicrolaser
AT zihegao highdimensionalquantumkeydistributionbyaspinorbitmicrolaser
AT lige highdimensionalquantumkeydistributionbyaspinorbitmicrolaser
AT liangfeng highdimensionalquantumkeydistributionbyaspinorbitmicrolaser