A quantum network utilizes quantum entanglement and quantum error correction to effectively transmit quantum information. The development of such networks is a crucial step toward achieving secure and efficient quantum communication. This paper introduces a Bell inequality to verify nonlocality in continuous-variable (CV) multipartite chained entanglement-swapping networks, and proposes a CV-quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol for such networks with Bell-test gating, in which key generation proceeds only when the Bell test is passed. We analyze the achievable key rates under collective and coherent attacks. Numerical simulations show a clear scalability advantage, with the maximum secure distance increasing with the number of nodes. These results support the proposed CV-QKD protocol as a practical route to long-distance secure communication in CV quantum networks.

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• Optical quantum information processing
• Photonics
• Quantum communication, protocols & technology
• Quantum cryptography
• Quantum entanglement
• Quantum foundations
• Quantum information processing with continuous variables
• Quantum networks