QKD BB84. A Taxonomy

Abstract

Quantum key distribution has been the focus of an important number of studies due to benefits that a widespread adoption would bring to the ever-changing technological world. For this reason, an effective way to organize the available literature on the topic so as to identify key components as well as open challenges, is needed. The present work, upon analyzing the literature, proposes a taxonomy which tackles two different approaches, one being theory-focused whereas the other considers a practical scenario with the purpose of providing an overview of the structure followed. Furthermore, after a description of the well-known BB84 protocol, a brief review of some advancements is provided. Finally, the proposed taxonomy is utilized to classify related works, bringing to light some of the open challenges that are yet to be fully developed.