Economical quantum secure direct communication network with single photons

In this paper a scheme for quantum secure direct communication （QSDC） network is proposed with a sequence of polarized single photons. The single photons are prepared originally in the same state （0） by the servers on the network, which will reduce the difficulty for the legitimate users to check eavesdropping largely. The users code the information on the single photons with two unitary operations which do not change their measuring bases. Some decoy photons, which are produced by operating the sample photons with a Hadamard, are used for preventing a potentially dishonest server from eavesdropping the quantum lines freely. This scheme is an economical one as it is the easiest way for QSDC network communication securely.

Efficient quantum private comparison protocol utilizing single photons and rotational encryption

As a branch of quantum secure multiparty computation,quantum private comparison is applied frequently in many fields,such as secret elections,private voting,and identification.A quantum private comparison protocol with higher efficiency and easier implementation is proposed in this paper.The private secrets are encoded as single polarized photons and then encrypted with a homomorphic rotational encryption method.Relying on this method and the circular transmission mode,we implement the multiplexing of photons,raising the efficiency of our protocol to 100%.Our protocol is easy to realize since only single photons,unitary operation,and single-particle measurement are introduced.Meanwhile,the analysis shows that our protocol is also correct and secure.

An Efficient Quantum Key Distribution Protocol with Dense Coding on Single Photons

Combined with the dense coding mechanism and the bias-BB84 protocol,an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with dense coding on single photons(QDKD-SP)is proposed.Compared with the BB84 or bias-BB84 protocols based on single photons,our QDKD-SP protocol has a higher capacity without increasing the difficulty of its experiment implementation as each correlated photon can carry two bits of useful information.Compared with the quantum dense key distribution(QDKD)protocol based on entangled states,our protocol is more feasible as the preparation and the measurement of a single-photon quantum state is not difficult with current technology.In addition,our QDKD-SP protocol is theoretically proved to be secure against the intercept-resend attack.

Secure authentication of classical messages with single photons

This paper proposes a scheme for secure authentication of classical messages with single photons and a hashed function. The security analysis of this scheme is also given, which shows that anyone cannot forge valid message authentication codes （MACs）. In addition, the lengths of the authentication key and the MACs are invariable and shorter, in comparison with those presented authentication schemes. Moreover, quantum data storage and entanglement are not required in this scheme. Therefore, this scheme is more efficient and economical.

Quantum Secure Direct Communication Protocol with Mutual Authentication Based on Single Photons and Bell States

Quantum secure direct communication(QSDC)can transmit secret messages directly from one user to another without first establishing a shared secret key,which is different from quantum key distribution.In this paper,we propose a novel quantum secure direct communication protocol based on signal photons and Bell states.Before the execution of the proposed protocol,two participants Alice and Bob exchange their corresponding identity IDA and IDB through quantum key distribution and keep them secret,respectively.Then the message sender,Alice,encodes each secret message bit into two single photons(|01>or|10>)or a Bell state(1|φ^(+)>=1/√2(|0>|-|1>1>)),and composes an ordered secret message sequence.To insure the security of communication,Alice also prepares the decoy photons and inserts them into secret message sequence on the basis of the values of IDA and IDB.By the secret identity IDA and IDB,both sides of the communication can check eavesdropping and identify each other.The proposed protocol not only completes secure direct communication,but also realizes the mutual authentication.The security analysis of the proposed protocol is presented in the paper.The analysis results show that this protocol is secure against some common attacks,and no secret message leaks even if the messages are broken.Compared with the two-way QSDC protocols,the presented protocol is a one-way quantum communication protocol which has the immunity to Trojan horse attack.Furthermore,our proposed protocol can be realized without quantum memory.

Quantum frequency down-conversion of single photons at 1552 nm from single InAs quantum dot

Near-infrared single photon sources in telecommunication bands, especially at 1550 nm, are required for long-distance quantum communication. Here a down-conversion quantum interface is implemented, where the single photons emitted from single In As quantum dot at 864 nm is down converted to 1552 nm by using a fiber-coupled periodically poled lithium niobate（PPLN） waveguide and a 1.95 μmm pump laser, and the frequency conversion efficiency is ~40%. The singlephoton purity of quantum dot emission is preserved during the down-conversion process, i.e., g^（（2））（0）, only 0.22 at 1552 nm.This present technique advances the Ⅲ-Ⅴ semiconductor quantum dots as a promising platform for long-distance quantum communication.

Countermeasure against blinding attack for single-photon detectors in quantum key distribution

Quantum key distribution(QKD),rooted in quantum mechanics,offers information-theoretic security.However,practi-cal systems open security threats due to imperfections,notably bright-light blinding attacks targeting single-photon detectors.Here,we propose a concise,robust defense strategy for protecting single-photon detectors in QKD systems against blinding attacks.Our strategy uses a dual approach:detecting the bias current of the avalanche photodiode(APD)to defend against con-tinuous-wave blinding attacks,and monitoring the avalanche amplitude to protect against pulsed blinding attacks.By integrat-ing these two branches,the proposed solution effectively identifies and mitigates a wide range of bright light injection attempts,significantly enhancing the resilience of QKD systems against various bright-light blinding attacks.This method forti-fies the safeguards of quantum communications and offers a crucial contribution to the field of quantum information security.

Single Photon Detection Technology in Underwater Wireless Optical Communication:Modulation Modes and Error Correction Coding Analysis

This study explores the application of single photon detection(SPD)technology in underwater wireless optical communication(UWOC)and analyzes the influence of different modulation modes and error correction coding types on communication performance.The study investigates the impact of on-off keying(OOK)and 2-pulse-position modulation(2-PPM)on the bit error rate(BER)in single-channel intensity and polarization multiplexing.Furthermore,it compares the error correction performance of low-density parity check(LDPC)and Reed-Solomon(RS)codes across different error correction coding types.The effects of unscattered photon ratio and depolarization ratio on BER are also verified.Finally,a UWOC system based on SPD is constructed,achieving 14.58 Mbps with polarization OOK multiplexing modulation and 4.37 Mbps with polarization 2-PPM multiplexing modulation using LDPC code error correction.

Photostability of colloidal single photon emitter in near-infrared regime at room temperature

The photostability of a colloidal single photon emitter in near-infrared regime at room temperature is investigated.The fluorescence lifetime,blinking phenomenon,and anti-bunching effect of a single CdTeSe/ZnS quantum dot with an emission wavelength of 800 nm at room temperature are studied.The second-order correlation function at zero delay time is much smaller than 0.1,which proves that the emission from single quantum dots at 800 nm is a highly pure single-photon source.The effects of the irradiation duration on the fluorescence from single quantum dots are analyzed.The experimental results can be explained by a recombination model including a multi-nonradiative recombination center model and a multi-charged model.

Micro/nano-fiber-based source of heralded single photons at the telecom band

We experimentally demonstrate a heralded single photon source at 1290 nm by exploiting the spontaneous four wave mixing in a taper-drawn micro/nano-fiber（MNF）. Because the frequency detuning between the pump and heralded single photons is ~58 THz, the contamination by Raman scattering is significantly reduced at room temperature. Since the MNF is naturally connected to standard single mode fibers via fiber tapers, the source would be compatible with the existing fiber networks. When the emission rate of heralded signal photons is about 4.6 kHz, the measured second-order intensity correlation function g（2）（0） is 0.017 ± 0.002, which is suppressed by a factor of more than 55, relative to the classical limit.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor detected by technetium-99m methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography:A case report

BACKGROUND Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(NETs)account for about 1%–2%of pancreatic tumors and about 8%of all NETs.Computed tomography(CT),magnetic resonance imaging,and endoscopic ultrasound are common imaging modalities for the diagnosis of pancreatic NETs.Furthermore,somatostatin receptor imaging is of great value for diagnosing pancreatic NETs.Herein,we report the efficacy of technetium-99m methoxy-2-isobutylisonitrile(99mTc-MIBI)single photon emission CT(SPECT)/CT for detecting pancreatic NETs.CASE SUMMARY A 57-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 1-d history of persistent upper abdominal distending pain.The distending pain in the upper abdomen was aggravated after eating,with nausea and retching.Routine blood test results showed a high neutrophil percentage,low leukomonocyte and monocyte percentages,and low leukomonocyte and eosinophil counts.Amylase,liver and kidney function,and tumor markers alpha-fetoprotein,carcinoembryonic antigen,and cancer antigen(CA)125,CA72-4,CA19-9,and CA153 were normal.Abdominal CT showed a mass,with multiple calcifications between the pancreas and the spleen.The boundary between the mass and the pancreas and spleen was poorly defined.Contrast-enhanced CT revealed that the upper abdominal mass was unevenly and gradually enhanced.99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT revealed that a focal radioactive concentration,with mild radioactive concentration extending into the upper abdominal mass,was present at the pancreatic body and tail.The 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT manifestations were consistent with the final pathological diagnosis of pancreatic NET.CONCLUSION 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT appears to be a valuable tool for detecting pancreatic NETs.

Resonantly driven exciton Rabi oscillation in single quantum dots emitting at 1300 nm

We report on the resonance fluorescence （RF） from single InAs quantum dots （QDs） emitting at the telecom band of 1300 nm. The InAs/GaAs QDs are embedded in a planar optical microcavity and the RF is measured by an orthogonal excitation-detection geometry for deeply suppressing the residual laser scattering. An ultra-weak He-Ne laser is necessary to be used as a gate laser for obtaining RE Rabi oscillation with more than one period is observed through the picosecond （ps） pulsed laser excitation. The resonant control of exciton opens up new possibilities for realizing the on-demand single photon emission and quantum manipulation of solid-state qubits at telecom band.

Unconventional photon blockade in the two-photon Jaynes–Cummings model with two-frequency cavity drivings and atom driving

In a two-frequency cavity driving and atom driving atom-cavity system,we find the photon blockade effect.In a truncated eigenstates space,we calculate the zero-delay second-order correlation function of the cavity mode analytically and obtain an optimal condition for the photon blockade.By including three transition pathways,we find that higher excitations of the cavity mode can be further suppressed and the zero-delay second-order correlation function can be reduced additionally.Based on the master equation,we simulate the system evolution and find that the analytical solutions match well with the numerical results.Our scheme is robust with small fluctuations of parameters and may be used as a new type of single photon source.

GHz photon-number resolving detection with high detection efficiency and low noise by ultra-narrowband interference circuits

We demonstrate the photon-number resolution(PNR)capability of a 1.25 GHz gated InGaAs single-photon avalanche photodiode(APD)that is equipped with a simple,low-distortion ultra-narrowband interference circuit for the rejection of its background capacitive response.Through discriminating the avalanche current amplitude,we are able to resolve up to four detected photons in a single detection gate with a detection efficiency as high as 45%.The PNR capability is limited by the avalanche current saturation,and can be increased to five photons at a lower detection efficiency of 34%.The PNR capability,combined with high efficiency and low noise,will find applications in quantum information processing technique based on photonic qubits.

Widely tunable single-photon source with high spectral-purity from telecom wavelength to mid-infrared wavelength based on MgO:PPLN

By utilizing the extended phase-matching(EPM)method,we investigate the generation of single photons with high spectral-purity in a magnesium-doped periodically-poled lithium niobate(MgO:PPLN)crystal via the spontaneous parametric down-conversion(SPDC)process.By adjusting the temperature and pump wavelength,the wavelength of the single photons can be tuned from telecom to mid-infrared(MIR)wavelengths,for which the spectral-purity can be above 0.95 with high transmission filters.In experiments,we engineer a MgO:PPLN with poling period of 20.35µm which emits the EPM photon pair centered at 1496.6 nm and 1644.0 nm and carry out the joint spectral intensity(JSI)and Glauber’s second-order self-correlation measurements to characterize the spectral purity.The results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.Our work may provide a valuable approach for the generation of spectrally pure single photons at a wide range of wavelengths which is competent for various photonic quantum technologies.

Secure quantum dialogue based on single-photon

In this paper a quantum dialogue scheme is proposed by using N batches of single photons. The same secret message is encoded on each batch of single photons by the sender with two different unitary operations, and then the N batches of single photons are sent to the receiver. After eavesdropping check, the message is encoded on the one remaining batch by the receiver. It is shown that the intercept-and-resend attack and coupling auxiliary modes attack can be resisted more efficiently, because the photons are sent only once in our quantum dialogue scheme.

Recent progress of SiC UV single photon counting avalanche photodiodes

4H-SiC single photon counting avalanche photodiodes(SPADs)are prior devices for weak ultraviolet(UV)signal detection with the advantages of small size,low leakage current,high avalanche multiplication gain,and high quantum efficiency,which benefit from the large bandgap energy,high carrier drift velocity and excellent physical stability of 4 H-SiC semiconductor material.UV detectors are widely used in many key applications,such as missile plume detection,corona discharge,UV astronomy,and biological and chemical agent detection.In this paper,we will describe basic concepts and review recent results on device design,process development,and basic characterizations of 4 H-SiC avalanche photodiodes.Several promising device structures and uniformity of avalanche multiplication are discussed,which are important for achieving high performance of 4 HSiC UV SPADs.

Practical non-orthogonal decoy state quantum key distribution with heralded single photon source

Recently the performance of the quantum key distribution （QKD） is substantially improved by the decoy state method and the non-orthogonal encoding protocol, separately. In this paper, a practical non-orthogonal decoy state protocol with a heralded single photon source （HSPS） for QKD is presented. The protocol is based on 4 states with different intensities. i.e. one signal state and three decoy states. The signal state is for generating keys; the decoy states are for detecting the eavesdropping and estimating the fraction of single-photon and two-photon pulses. We have discussed three cases of this protocol, i.e. the general case, the optimal case and the special case. Moreover, the final key rate over transmission distance is simulated. For the low dark count of the HSPS and the utilization of the two-photon pulses, our protocol has a higher key rate and a longer transmission distance than any other decoy state protocol.

Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detector with Optical Cavity

Increasing the detection efficiency （DE） is a hot issue in the development of the superconducting nanowire single photon detector （SNSPD）. In this work, a cavity-integrated structure coupled to the SNSPD is used to enhance the light absorption of nanowire. Ultra-thin Nb films are successfully prepared by magnetron sputtering, which are used to fabricate Nb/Al SNSPD with the curve of lOOnm and the square area of 4 × 4μm2 by sputtering and the lift-off method. To characterize the optical and electrical performance of the cavity-integrated SNSPD, a reliable cryogenic research system is built up based on a He3 system. To satisfy the need of light coupling, a packaging structure with collimator is conducted. Both DE and the dark count rates increase with lb. It is also found that the DE of SNSPD with cavities can be up to 0.17% at the temperature of 0.7K under the infrared light of 1550nm, which is obviously higher than that of the SNSPD directly fabricated upon silicon without any cavity structure.

Single Photon Scattering in a Pair of Waveguides Coupled by a Whispering-Gallery Resonator Interacting with a Semiconductor Quantum Dot

The single photon scattering properties in a pair of waveguides coupled by a whispering-gallery resonator in- teracting with a semiconductor quantum dot are investigated theoretically. The two waveguides support four possible ports for an incident single photon. The quantum dot is considered a V-type system. The incident direction-dependent single photon scattering properties are studied and equal-output probability from the four ports for a single photon incident is discussed. The influences of backscattering between the two modes of the whispering-gallery resonator for incident direction-dependent single photon scattering properties are also pre- sented.