Curator's Take
An interesting development in cryptography. This article from arXiv Quantum Physics covers recent progress that may have implications for the broader quantum computing field.
— Mark Eatherly
Summary
We present a quantum code-division multiple-access (q-CDMA) framework for multiuser continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) over a shared quantum channel. The proposed architecture employs chaotic phase shifters to encode and decode quantum states, enabling efficient multiplexing and demultiplexing of signals generated by multiple transmitters. In this scheme, quantum states from different users are chaotically phase-encoded and combined through a beam splitter network before transmission. At the receiver, synchronized chaotic phase shifters are used for decoding, followed by an inverse beam splitter structure to recover the individual user signals. This chaotic synchronization allows reliable state recovery and secure key establishment between each sender-receiver pair. For an arbitrary number of users, we derive the input-output quadrature relations describing the multiuser q-CDMA CV-QKD system. Using this model, we evaluate the achievable secret key rate under collective attacks with reverse reconciliation. We further investigate the impact of key system parameters including the correction factor, multiuser interference noise, environmental noise, and channel transmittance. A comparison between the asymptotic and finite-size regimes is also presented to highlight the associated performance trade-offs. These results provide a theoretical framework for assessing the performance of q-CDMA-based CV-QKD and support the development of scalable and secure multiuser quantum communication networks.