Cascaded Kerr photon-blockade sources and applications in quantum key distribution

Abstract

Abstract To raise the repetition rate, a single-photon source based on Kerr quantum blockade in a cascaded quantum system is studied. Using the quantum trajectory method, we calculate and simulate the photon number distributions out of a two-cavity system. A high quality single-photon source can be achieved through optimizing parameters. The designed photon source is further applied to the decoy state quantum key distribution (QKD). With and without statistical fluctuation, the key rate can be both raised drastically.