Abstract
We developed a superconducting nanowire single-photon detection (SNSPD) system based on Gifford-McMahon cryocooler for quantum communication applications. Environmental factors which may influence the system performance are intensively studied. Those factors include temperature fluctuations, the ambient magnetic field and the background radiation. By optimizing the bias circuit, the stability of SNSPD system to electrical noise and disturbance was effectively enhanced, thus making it more suitable for field application. A 4-channel SNSPD system with quantum efficiency higher than 4% at the dark count rate of 10 Hz for λ=1550 nm is integrated and applied into a quantum key distribution (QKD) experiment. QKD was successfully carried out over 100 km optical fiber with the final secure key rate of 1.6 kbps and the quantum bit error rate of less than 2%.
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Chen, S., Liu, D., You, L. et al. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detection system and demonstration in quantum key distribution. Chin. Sci. Bull. 58, 1145–1149 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-013-5698-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-013-5698-1