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Long-distance device-independent conference key agreement

Makoto Ishihara1,*, Anders J. E. Bjerrum2, Wojciech Roga1, Jonatan B. Brask2, Ulrik L. Andersen2, and Masahiro Takeoka1,3

  • *Contact author: llmakomako.arg1076@keio.jp

Phys. Rev. A 112, 032429 – Published 19 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2qyl-3rk1

Abstract

Device-independent quantum key distribution (DI-QKD) enables two remote parties to share an information-theoretically secure key without any assumptions on the inner workings of the devices used. Device-independent conference key agreement (DI-CKA) is multipartite DI-QKD in which more than two parties share a common secure key. The performance of DI-CKA, however, is strictly limited because of its susceptibility to losses due to, e.g., imperfect detection efficiency and channel transmission. Here, we propose a DI-CKA protocol which reduces this limitation by using a heralding scheme to distribute multipartite entanglement. We analyze key rates of our protocol for two different measurement scenarios, and we show that our protocol outperforms a previous DI-CKA protocol even with an experimentally feasible measurement.

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