Symmetrical clock synchronization with time-correlated photon pairs

Abstract

We demonstrate a point-to-point clock synchronization protocol based on bidirectionally exchanging photons produced in spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC). The technique exploits tight timing correlations between photon pairs to achieve a precision of 51ps in 100s with count rates of order 200s$^{-1}$. The protocol is distance independent, secure against symmetric delay attacks and provides a natural complement to techniques based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The protocol works with mobile parties and can be augmented to provide authentication of the timing signal via a Bell inequality check.