Trusted-source-noise model of discrete-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Abstract

Discrete-modulated continuous-variable quantum key distribution offers a pragmatic solution, greatly simplifying experimental procedures, while retaining robust integration with classical optical communication. Theoretical analyses have progressively validated the comprehensive security of this protocol, paving the way for practical experimentation. However, imperfect sources in practical implementations introduce noise. The traditional approach is to assume that eavesdroppers can control all of the source noise, which overestimates the ability of eavesdroppers and underestimates the secret-key rate. Some parts of source noise are intrinsic and cannot be manipulated by the eavesdropper, so they can be seen as trusted noise. We tailor a trusted-noise model specifically for the discrete-modulated protocol and upgrade the security analysis accordingly. Simulation results demonstrate that this approach successfully mitigates the negative impact of an imperfect source on system performance, while maintaining security of the protocol. Furthermore, our method can be used in conjunction with a trusted-detector-noise model, effectively reducing the influence of both source noise and detector noise in the experimental setup. This is a meaningful contribution to the practical deployment of discrete-modulated-continuous-variable-quantum-key-distribution systems.