Stable and deterministic quantum key distribution based on differential phase shift

Int. J. Quant. Inform. 7 (2009) 739-745 We present a stable and deterministic quantum key distribution (QKD) system based on differential phase shift. With three cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers with different arm-length differences for creating key, its key creation efficiency can be improved to be 7/8, more than other systems. Any birefringence effects and polarization-dependent losses in the long-distance fiber are automatically compensated with a Faraday mirror. Added an eavesdropping check, this system is more secure than some other phase-coding-based QKD systems. Moreover, the classical information exchanged is reduces largely and the modulation of phase shifts is simplified. All these features make this QKD system more convenient than others in a practical application.