Key rate of quantum key distribution with hashed two-way classical communication

Abstract

We propose an information reconciliation protocol that uses two-way classical communication. In the case of the BB84 protocol and the six-state protocol, the key rates of the quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols that use our proposed information reconciliation protocol are higher than previously known protocols for wide range of error rates. We also clarify the relation between the proposed protocol and known QKD protocols, and the relation between the proposed protocol and entanglement distillation protocols (EDPs).