Papers for

quantum cryptography system designers

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Quantum messaging cuts communication in key secure computations

Concrete Functions in Private Simultaneous Quantum Messages: Quantum Advantages and Structural Limitations

Abstract: Private simultaneous quantum messages (PSQM) provide a minimal model of noninteractive secure multiparty quantum computation, yet their communication complexity for concrete functions remains poorly understood. We show that familiar total functions already exhibit both genuine quantum advantages and strong structural limitations. For three-party equality on $n$-bit inputs, which determines whether the players' $n$-bit strings are identical, we construct an entanglement-assisted protocol with asymptotic communication $(1.633\ldots)n$ qubits, whereas every perfectly correct protocol without prior entanglement requires at least $3n$ qubits. For three-bit majority, one shared GHZ state and one transmitted qubit per player suffice for perfect correctness and perfect privacy, reducing the communication from the optimal classical cost of six bits to three qubits. Three-bit AND behaves differently. No perfectly correct and perfectly private protocol exists when the players share an arbitrary three-qubit state, apply arbitrary local unitary encodings, and transmit one qubit each. However, increasing the local dimension overcomes this obstruction: one shared three-qutrit GHZ state and one transmitted qutrit per player yield a one-shot protocol with total communication $3\log_2 3$. Together with the six-bit classical lower bound, this gives a strict quantum communication advantage. More generally, for every $k\geq 3$, we construct a perfectly correct and perfectly private one-shot protocol for $k$-bit AND using one qudit of dimension at most $k$ per player, and hence at most $k\log_2 k$ qubits in total.

Fri 16 OctComputational ComplexityCryptography and Security
The gist
Some basic tasks in secure communication need a lot of information shared between multiple people. This paper shows that using quantum messages, these tasks can require less communication than classical messages, thanks to quantum properties like entanglement. However, for certain functions, there are limits on how well quantum methods can reduce communication. The authors demonstrate this balance by studying specific functions like equality and majority, finding quantum advantages and fundamental restrictions.
Open → 2610.23090v1

Quantum channel comparisons reveal when private information can be securely sent

Quantum estimation, channel orders, and private capacity

Abstract: Recent examples have shown that zero private capacity need not imply antidegradability and that two channels with zero private capacity can nevertheless transmit private information together. Existing entropic channel orders compare what a receiver and its environment can learn and thereby bound capacities. We connect these orders to the recent constructions through binary estimation, whose minimum mean-square error is governed by measured $χ^2$ divergence. A new integral representation shows how measured $χ^2$ on a qubit extension recovers quantum $χ^2$. It lets us pass from complete measured-$χ^2$ ordering to complete quantum-$χ^2$, relative-entropy, and less-noisy ordering. Zhu and Wang used a signed lift to show that their qutrit channel has zero private capacity. We show that Hermitian-smoothed measured-$χ^2$ ordering characterizes when such lifts exist, even with a quantum reference. Environmental dominance in binary estimation at every blocklength yields a finite-code reliability--secrecy bound. These results explain why complete comparison prevents activation with antidegradable helpers whereas regularized comparison alone does not. Building on that qutrit example, we establish this stability for a range of noisy Werner--Holevo channels, determine sharp private-capacity and antidegradability thresholds, and compute exact complementary capacities in a nondegradable range. By contrast, we extend Pauli half-erasure activation to all $1/2\le p<1$ and establish the same range for a new four-level family. Reference-assisted measured-$χ^2$ witnesses show why these activating constructions lack complete comparison.

Fri 2 OctInformation Theory
The gist
Sending secret messages using quantum channels isn’t always straightforward—sometimes even zero private capacity channels can combine to send private information. The authors connect different ways to compare quantum channels using something called binary estimation and a special measure called measured χ² divergence. They explain why certain types of quantum channels cannot activate private communication when helped by others, and identify exact conditions that determine when private data can be sent securely. Their work helps clarify the complex relationships between quantum channel properties that affect privacy and security.
Open → 2610.03706v1