Chip-integrated quantum signature network over 200 km
The development of quantum networks is paramount towards practical and secure communications. Quantum digital signatures (QDS) offer an information-theoretically secure solution for ensuring data integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation, rapidly growing from proof-of-concept to robust demonstrations. However, previous QDS systems relied on expensive and bulky optical equipment, limiting large-scale deployment and reconfigurable networking construction. Here, we introduce and verify a chip-based QDS network, placing the complicated and expensive measurement devices in the central relay while each user needs only a low-cost transmitter. We demonstrate the network with a three-node setup using an integrated encoder chip and decoder chip. By developing a 1-decoy-state one-time universal hashing-QDS protocol, we achieve a maximum signature rate of 0.0414 times per second for a 1 Mbit messages over fiber distances up to 200 km, surpassing all current state-of-the-art QDS experiments. This study validates the feasibility of chip-based QDS, paving the way for large-scale deployment and integration with existing fiber infrastructure.
Authors
- Hua‐Lei Yin
- Xiaoyu Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6740-4937)
- Zhenrong Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1125-6637)
- Xi Xiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3696-877X)
- Kejin Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9000-7681)
- Bing-Hong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5414-5027)
- Zhengeng Zhao
- Hua Xin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7269-7922)
- Yongqiang Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6539-1685)
- Feng Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3609-4964)
Institutions
- Guangxi University (CN)
- Peng Cheng Laboratory (CN)
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Renmin University of China (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Light Science & Applications
- Published
- 2025-03-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-025-01775-4
- Citations
- 19
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 47.14