Short-block polar-coded reverse and direct reconciliation in CV-QKD

Abstract

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) is a promising technique of supporting quantum-safe wireless networks in the emerging 6G era, mapping quantum information onto the amplitude or phase of electromagnetic waves. However, conventional CV-QKD reconciliation methods often assume ideal classical side-information channels, which is an unrealistic scenario in practical deployments. To address this critical challenge, we propose a novel protection scheme integrating Polar and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. Specifically, Polar codes safeguard quantum transmissions due to their superior performance for short block lengths, while LDPC codes robustly protect the classical side information exchanged over auxiliary classical channels. We further enhance the CV-QKD performance by harnessing a soft-decision Polar decoding method combined with protocols specifically tailored for reverse reconciliation (RR) and direct reconciliation (DR). In the RR scheme, conceived decoding complexity is strategically distributed: Polar decoding is performed by Alice, and LDPC decoding by Bob, hence significantly reducing the computational demands compared to traditional schemes where both decoding processes are invoked at a single node. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of our approach, demonstrating that Polar codes consistently outperform LDPC codes in quantum transmission scenarios having short block lengths under 512 bits. These findings emphasize the strong potential of Polar coding-assisted CV-QKD in achieving secure and efficient quantum-safe control information transmissions, paving the way for practical implementation in next-generation wireless networks.

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