Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs
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Quantum Physics arXiv:2602.05057 (quant-ph) [Submitted on 4 Feb 2026] Title:Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs Authors:Patrick Andriolo, Esteban Vasques, Elizabeth Agudelo, Max Riegler, Matej Pivoluska, Gláucia Murta View a PDF of the paper titled Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs, by Patrick Andriolo and 5 other authors View PDF Abstract:In contrast to classical cryptography, where the security of encoded messages typically relies on the inability of standard algorithms to overcome computational complexity assumptions, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) can enable two spatially separated parties to establish an information-theoretically secure encryption, provided that the QKD protocol is underpinned by a security proof. In the last decades, security proofs robust against a wide range of eavesdropping strategies have established the theoretical soundness of several QKD protocols. However, most proofs are based on idealized models of the physical systems involved in such protocols and often include assumptions that are not satisfied in practical implementations. This mismatch creates a gap between theoretical security guarantees and actual experimental realizations, making QKD protocols vulnerable to attacks. To ensure the security of real-world QKD systems, it is therefore essential to account for imperfections in security analyses. In this article, we present an overview of recent analytical and numerical developments in QKD security proofs, which provide a versatile approach for incorporating imperfections and re-establishing the security of quantum communication protocols under realistic conditions. Comments: Subjects: Quantum Physics (quant-ph) Cite as: arXiv:2602.05057 [quant-ph] (or arXiv:2602.05057v1 [quant-ph] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2602.05057 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration) Submission history From: Patrick Andriolo [view email] [v1] Wed, 4 Feb 2026 21:16:33 UTC (146 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs, by Patrick Andriolo and 5 other authorsView PDFTeX Source view license Current browse context: quant-ph new | recent | 2026-02 References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADSGoogle Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... Data provided by: Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv (What is alphaXiv?) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers (What is CatalyzeX?) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub (What is DagsHub?) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub (What is GotitPub?) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face (What is Huggingface?) Links to Code Toggle Papers with Code (What is Papers with Code?) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast (What is ScienceCast?) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate (What is Replicate?) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces (What is Spaces?) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI (What is TXYZ.AI?) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower (What are Influence Flowers?) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender (What is CORE?) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs. Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)