Multirate and multiprotocol OFDM-based multicarrier continuous-variable quantum key distribution

In this paper, we propose a multi-rate and multi-protocol CV-QKD scheme based on the orthogonal-frequencydivision- multiplexing (OFDM) technology. The proposed OFDM-based multi-carrier CVQKD scheme only requires one transmitter and one receiver to realize QKD with different modulation protocols and different key rates in one communication. More importantly, the multiple subcarriers with different modulation protocols have different excess noise tolerances in the same transmission channel, which can achieve the flexible QKD service even in long-distance and high-disturbance fiber channel. In order to verify the proposed scheme, 5 subcarriers with QPSK, 64QAM, 256QAM, 1024QAM and Gaussian modulation protocols are evaluated by the SDP and no-switch Gaussian security analysis method at different transmission distances. The simulation results show the proposed OFDM-based multi-carrier scheme allows various QKDs with different modulation protocols and different key rates in one communication. Moreover, according to the obtained 5 SKRs, we can choose the optimal modulation protocol of the subcarriers to meet different needs of quantum network operators. In addition, the scheme also can choose much more subcarriers and different symbol rates to flexibly achieve the QKD in different quantum secure communication scenarios. Therefore, the proposed scheme changes the modulation protocol, subcarrier number and symbol rate to achieve the interoperability, flexibility and compatibility.