Network Topologies for QKD Networks

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method for distributing cryptographic keys between remote endpoints, enjoying security based on quantum physics. This paper makes a first step towards studying topologies for QKD networks. QKD networks imply several required characteristics for their reliability and efficiency. We express such properties in terms of graph structure. For the comparison of potential graphs, we describe cost functions that allow us to identify families of graphs that are reliable and efficient. To make the discussion realistic, we summarize representative field-reported QKD performance numbers and illustrate the sensitivity of secret-key rate (SKR) to a few dB of additional loss. Last, we present methods to construct large efficient graphs through connecting smaller graphs.